HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Carbon Offset Payment

Robert Key: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the carbon offset payment made by the House in respect of parliamentary air travel in 2006-07.

Nick Harvey: The Commission decided in June 2006 that the House should make payments to offset carbon emissions from air travel paid by the House or from Members' parliamentary allowances and booked using the parliamentary Travel Office. The House of Lords House Committee did likewise in July 2006. The House made its first carbon offset payment for 2006-07 in May 2007. The payment for 2006-07 was £26,025.50 and resulted from the emission of an estimated 2,626 tonnes of carbon from parliamentary air travel during the year. The offset payment has been made to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, which is overseen by DEFRA.

PRIME MINISTER

Pakistan: Human Rights

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he made to the President of Pakistan on that country's record on human rights and civil liberties at their meeting on 28 January 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I discussed a wide range of issues with President Musharraf. I refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with the President on 28 January 2008. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website:
	http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page14429.asp
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children: Abuse

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many allegations of child abuse have been reported by  (a) state maintained and  (b) independent schools to (i) the police and (ii) social services in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what obligations state maintained schools have to report allegations of child abuse to  (a) the police and  (b) social services; and whether independent schools operate under the same obligations.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 1 February 2008
	The information requested about the number of allegations reported by maintained and independent schools to the police and social services is not held centrally.
	The Government issued comprehensive guidance for schools and other education institutions, "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education", in November 2006 and this came into force in January 2007. This sets out the process for dealing with allegations that might indicate that someone is unsuitable to continue to work with children, because it is alleged that they have behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child; possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children. The guidance is clear that any allegations that fall within this definition must be taken seriously and should be examined objectively by someone independent of the school concerned: in the first instance this is typically the local authority designated officer who leads on dealing with allegations in that area. The guidance explains that the police must be consulted about any case in which a criminal offence may have been committed, and that a strategy discussion (which will involve children's social care) should take place when there is cause to suspect a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm. Sometimes allegations will be so serious as to require immediate intervention by children's social care or the police, prior to notifying the local authority designated officer.
	This guidance is directed at both maintained and independent schools. For maintained schools it is underpinned by the duty on governing bodies in section 175 of the Education Act 2002. For independent schools the duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils is underpinned by requirements in regulations made under section 157 of the Education Act 2002. The relevant regulations are the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, as amended.

Children: Day Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government plan to take to assist parents with the costs of child care.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 4 February 2008
	This Government recognise that child care costs are a serious matter for some families, which is why we are doing more than ever before to make good quality child care and early education accessible and affordable.
	We are investing £3 billion per year to support free early education, so all three and four-year-olds, irrespective of the employment status of their parents, can benefit from 12.5 hours of free early years provision for 38 weeks per year. This increases to 15 hours by 2010 and will be delivered more flexibly to meet families' needs. In addition, we announced in the Children's Plan an additional £100 million to pilot a free entitlement for 20,000 of our most disadvantaged two-year-olds.
	We provide substantial help (totalling over £3 million a day) through the tax credit system, in providing up to 80 per cent. of child care costs—helping nearly 430,000 families.
	We have enabled employers to support working parents with their child care costs by offering tax and national insurance exemptions through salary sacrifice and child care vouchers for good quality formal child care. In addition, beginning in September 2008, £75 million has been made available over three years, so that 50,000 workless families can benefit from free child care, allowing parents to access training and move into work.
	In London, additional support for child care is available to lower income parents, through the £33 million London Childcare Affordability Programme.
	The recent DCSF "affordable child care" campaign aims to make parents much more aware of the range of provision in their areas and the support available to make child care more affordable.

Extended Schools

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress his Department has made towards meeting its targets on  (a) extended schools and  (b) after-school childcare.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 5 February 2008
	We want all schools to offer access to extended services by 2010, including providing access to child care and a range of activities, with at least half of all primary and a third of secondary schools doing so by September.
	At present, 9,393 schools are providing access to extended services which is well on the way to meeting the 2008 target.
	Month to month variations can occur, resulting in figures going down as well as up, for example, as a result of local school reorganisations. There are many other schools which are already providing individual parts of the core offer that are not yet included in these figures.
	There are no specific targets for local authorities on after-school child care. Local authorities are required to complete, by 31 March 2008, assessments of the sufficiency of child care in their areas in relation to children of all ages, covering supply of places, demand for places and gaps between the two.
	Their assessments will provide the basis for their duty to secure sufficient child care for all working parents from 1 April 2008.

Extended Schools: Disadvantaged

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of extended school provision in deprived areas in England in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 5 February 2008
	 The Government have committed significant funding to support schools in establishing high quality and sustainable extended services. In the period 2006 to 2008 the Government provided £680 million to schools and local authorities. In 2008-09 to 2010-11 an additional £1.3 billion of funding will be made available. This is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Extended schools total funding 2008 to 2011  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total CSR period 
			 Startup 165 172 71 408 
			 Sustainability 40 100 155 295 
			 Extended Schools Subsidy Scheme 8.5 40 217 265.5 
			 Academic-Focused Study Support 0 84 83 167 
			 Total Extended Schools Revenue 213.5 396 526 1,135.5 
			 Total Extended Schools Capital 84 89 46 219 
			 Total Extended Schools Revenue and Capital 297.5 485 572 1,354.5 
		
	
	The Department has announced the individual local authority allocations for the next three years for the start up, sustainability and capital funding streams outlined above. The methodology used for determining these allocations took levels of deprivation in each authority fully into account. Included in the £1.3 billion extended schools funding is £265.5 million to ensure that children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are able to access high quality extended activities and are not prevented from doing so on grounds of cost.

Extended Schools: Disadvantaged

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many facilities for extended school provision in deprived areas in England were  (a) set up and  (b) closed in each of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: Information is not collected centrally on the number of school facilities that have opened up or closed down for extended school provision.
	TDA measures deprivation through the numbers of pupils entitled to free school meals. The following table provides figures on the number of schools providing access to the full core offer based on the level of deprivation.
	Figures for 2007 and 2008 are provided as the target for schools providing access to the full core offer of extended services began in autumn 2006.
	
		
			  Deprivation (percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals) 
			  Most deprived (over 25 per cent.)  Number  Percentage 
			  As of 10 January 2007   
			 Schools providing access to core offer 1,409 37 
			 National 5,352 24 
			
			  As of 9 January 2008   
			 Schools providing access to core offer 2,435 26 
			 National 4,655 21

Free School Meals

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the potential effects of universal free school meals on levels of healthy eating.

Kevin Brennan: This Department has not made an assessment.

Pre-School Education: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much the Government have spent on pre-school education in Coventry in the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 5 February 2008
	 In 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 local authorities received funding to provide free nursery education for three and four-year-olds through the under-fives sub-block of their education formula spending (EFS). Coventry was funded the following amounts through the under-fives block of the EFS:
	
		
			  Coventry: education formula spend (under fives block) 
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 20 
			 2004-05 20 
			 2005-06 22 
		
	
	EFS was not ring-fenced, therefore funding for education—including the notional under-fives funding—could be spent on other sectors and vice versa.
	Since 2006-07 early years funding has been paid via the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). We do not separately identify the amount of funding in the DSG for early years. Local authorities are responsible for determining how best to distribute their overall allocation.

Truancy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils in year  (a) 9,  (b) 10 and  (c) 11 had a recorded unauthorised absence in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07.

Kevin Brennan: The first year for which information is available on absence rates by national curriculum year group is 2005/06 and relates to secondary schools only. Data for 2006-07 are expected to be available at the end of February.
	The available information is shown in the table:
	
		
			  All secondary schools( 1,2) : Pupil absence for national curriculum year groups 9,10 and 11 ,  2005-06, England 
			Percentage of half days missed( 4) 
			  National curriculum year group:  Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 3)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence 
			 9 598,760 6.76 1.30 806 
			 10 601,220 6.98 184 8.82 
			 11 581.300 8.05 2.43 10.48 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes local authority maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies. (3) Pupil numbers are as at January 2006. Includes pupils aged five to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders. (4) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Young People: Disadvantaged

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expenditure his Department has incurred in countering social exclusion among young people  (a) who have a disability,  (b) who are lesbian, gay and bisexual,  (c) from minority ethnic groups and  (d) from rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: As we showed in the recent Children's Plan, the policies and programmes we now have in place are designed to make England the best place in the world for children to grow up and meet their potential.
	We have the following in place in order to ensure that all children and young people feel included in the life of their school and able to contribute positively to society:
	Aiming High for Disabled Children will provide a total of £430 million to local authorities in new investment in disabled children's services during 2008-11 and additional funds to PCTs, to underpin delivery of a radical reform in services for disabled children and families. The Government want all disabled children to have the best start in life and the ongoing support that they and their families need to fulfil their potential;
	Guidance to address bullying in schools "Safe to Learn: embedding anti-bullying work in schools" which includes specific guidance on tackling racist and homophobic bullying. We plan to add further guidance, in the spring, on how to tackle the bullying of disabled children. We have asked the Anti-Bullying Alliance and National Strategies to work with local authorities and schools to ensure the guidance is effectively influencing practice in schools. In the current year, we are spending £1.7 million on a range of anti-bullying initiatives and all of our programmes specifically look at how schools can prevent and tackle all forms of prejudice-driven bullying;
	We are fully committed to narrowing and ultimately closing the gap in progress and attainment between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. We have introduced targeted initiatives aimed at addressing specific areas of minority ethnic underachievement and to enhance mainstream and specialist provision in schools. We are confident that the targeted programmes for specific groups which are already under way, together with the mainstream programme of personalised learning, will enable us to make substantial further progress to address underachievement. Raising the academic achievement of minority ethnic background pupils is a key priority for the Department;
	We have provided £2 million to help fund a Schools Linking Network. This enables schools in different contexts and locations work together to share practice on inclusive teaching and develop opportunities to promote understanding of the issues experienced by children in different parts of the country—urban, suburban and rural—so promoting social inclusion. This network has been developed in response to the findings of Sir Keith Ajegbo's review of Diversity and Citizenship in the Curriculum and the report from the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, chaired by Darra Singh; and
	Through Aiming High for Young People, our 10-year strategy for positive activities, we have set out a range of commitments to improve young people's life chances through participation in positive leisure time activities and improved services. Supported by an investment of £679 million over the 2008-11 period, Aiming High focuses on helping all young people, but with extra support for those who need it most.

Young People: Speech Impaired

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what support is available through the Connexions Service to assist young people who stammer into employment; and what training is given to staff in the service on the best ways of assisting such young people.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 5 February 2008
	 Through multi-agency working, Connexions provides integrated information, advice, guidance and access to personal development opportunities to help remove barriers to learning and progression and ensure young people make a smooth transition to adulthood and working life whatever their personal circumstances.
	If a Connexions personal adviser (PA) considers that a young person may have a range of support needs, they would use the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to determine this. The CAF is a voluntary, holistic assessment of strengths and needs, which helps the PA to agree with the young person and their parent(s)/carer(s) what action needs to be taken and which agencies/practitioners should be involved.
	All organisations delivering Connexions services are responsible for staff training which will include appropriate assessment training.

Youth Opportunity Fund

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the  (a) Youth Opportunity and  (b) Youth Capital funds; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 4 February 2008
	 The Youth Opportunity and Capital Funds (YOF and YCF) were established in April 2006 as complementary, universal, funds operating under a single management framework.
	The funds have demonstrated how innovative and creative young people can be when they are empowered to participate in decision making, delivering a wide range of high quality projects and activities that have resulted in over 500,000 young people benefiting from positive activities.
	Interim findings from the independent evaluation of the Funds were published in July 2007: Research Report Number DCSF-RR004 is available on my Department's website.
	The research found that the funds were meeting their objective to give young people a voice through consultation and control over resources. Local authorities had involved young people in the design and development of the funds, with young people involved as decision-makers. Projects funded have included, sporting, cultural and educational activities, improvements to local youth facilities and the purchase of specialist equipment, providing young people with opportunities they would not have otherwise had.
	The second stage of the evaluation is currently underway and the final report will be available in summer 2008.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) first-class and  (b) other flights he has taken since 28 June 2007; and on each occasion (i) how many staff travelled with him and (ii) what the cost of the travel was.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has offices in Northern Ireland and in London. Ministers and officials travel regularly between the two locations, according to business needs and security considerations.
	Since 1999 the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Telephone Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which of his Department's agencies use the  (a) 0845 and  (b) 0870 telephone codes for customer enquiries; how many 0845 or 0870 telephone codes each agency uses; and how much revenue was generated by each of these codes for each agency in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Prison Service uses one 0845 number but the service provider, Cable and Wireless does not supply information on revenue generated by the 0845 number.

Elderly: Abuse

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1472-73W, on elderly abuse, what the criteria are for dealing with assaults on the elderly by means of  (a) non-sanction clearances and  (b) charge/summons.

Paul Goggins: Crimes against the elderly are recorded in line with Home Office Counting Rules under the following definitions:
	1. a crime (i.e. notifiable offence) has been committed and recorded; and
	2. a suspect has been identified and has been made aware that they will be recorded as being responsible for the crime; and
	3. there must be sufficient evidence to charge the suspect with the crime; and
	4. that one of the agreed clearance methods detailed in the following table applies.
	 Agreed methods of clearance:
	 Sanctioned clearances
	1. Taken into consideration
	2. Charged
	3. Summons issued
	4. Adult caution
	5. Adult informed warning
	6. Juvenile informed warning
	7. Juvenile restorative caution
	8. Juvenile prosecutorial diversion
	 Non-sanctioned clearances
	1. Under age
	2. Complainant declined to prosecute
	3. No prosecution directed
	4. Offender died before proceedings

Employment Agencies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies in relation to departmental appointments in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and NDPBs and Public Inquiries, can only provide spend on recruitment agencies from the financial year 1998-99. The figures shown in the following table include both the costs for appointing staff to the Department and the salaries paid to these temporary staff members.
	
		
			  Financial year  Recruitment agencies costs (£) 
			 1998-99 51,349 
			 1999-2000 37,212 
			 2000-01 36,907 
			 2001-02 39,678 
			 2002-03 81,344 
			 2003-04 99,883 
			 2004-05 121,354 
			 2005-06 136,304 
			 2006-07 169,009 
		
	
	Recruitment agency staff are only employed when appropriately skilled permanent staff are not available to fill posts. Such appointments are closely monitored with regard to the continuing need.

Intimidation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 181W, on intimidation, on what date the formal complaint of bullying was reported in his Department.

Shaun Woodward: Pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 181W, on the number of cases of bullying reported in the NIO in the last 12 months, the single formal complaint referred to was reported on 9 May 2007.

Official Engagements

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days he spent in Northern Ireland on official business in each of the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: In addition to the time spent in Northern Ireland, I undertake NIO business in Parliament, in the Northern Ireland Office, London and elsewhere. As a member of the Cabinet I have additional duties including Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings and attending Parliament at Westminster.
	Since my appointment on 29 June 2007 and until 31 January I have been in Northern Ireland on 59 days.

Official Engagements

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his official engagements were in December 2007.

Shaun Woodward: The disclosure of some of the information requested, including details of internal or interdepartmental meetings with Ministers or officials, would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs.
	The information that can be disclosed is set out in the following table. In addition to those functions listed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with political parties, local politicians, the Minister of State, internal and external stakeholders and his officials.
	
		
			  Week beginning  Engagement 
			 3 December Official opening of Government Building 
			   
			 10 December Visit to Belfast Telegraph 
			  Meeting with Chris Sidoti 
			  Christmas reception at Hillsborough 
			   
			 17 December Press conference on Omagh bombing 
			  Christmas reception at Hillsborough 
			  Meeting with Orange Order 
			  Meeting with chief constable and Sir Desmond Rea 
			  Meeting with the Quinn family

Sexual Harassment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints of  (a) sexual harassment and  (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: During 2007, there were no formal complaints of either sexual harassment or sexual discrimination reported in the NIO core Department.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 181W, regarding training provided for NIO staff on appropriate behaviour in the workplace. This training also deals with different types of discrimination, including on the basis of gender. In addition, in accordance with section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, all personnel policies affecting staff are screened to ensure that they do not have an adverse effect on any of the nine groups specified under the legislation, which include gender.

WALES

Departmental Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what databases are  (a) owned and  (b) maintained by his Department.

Paul Murphy: My Department does not own any databases. All databases used by my Department are maintained under Ministry of Justice contracts.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) personal digital assistants and  (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001.

Paul Murphy: My Department has lost no personal digital assistants or laptop computers. One mobile phone was reported missing in both 2006 and 2007.

Employment Agencies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies in relation to departmental appointments in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: Nil.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Leader of the House how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) personal digital assistants and  (c) laptop computers issued to her staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001.

Helen Goodman: Following a Machinery of Government change, information prior to 2006-07 is available only at disproportionate cost.
	Since June 2007 one laptop has been reported stolen from the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons. The laptop was used to update the office website and did not contain any personal data or other sensitive information.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Charles Walker: To ask the Leader of the House if she will list the special advisers employed in her office since 6 May 1997; and what the  (a) start and  (b) end date of employment was in each case.

Helen Goodman: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and numbers of special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 147-150WS.
	Information on the employment of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and is available in the Library of the House.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Elections

Bob Neill: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 768W, on elections, whether the performance indicators will be in addition to the 200 national performance indicators published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission was given powers under the Electoral Administration Act 2006 to set performance standards for Electoral Registration Officers, Returning Officers and Referendum Counting Officers across Great Britain. The Commission informs me that any standards would apply to these officers in their capacity as independent statutory office holders, rather than to their local authorities. They will therefore be separate from any performance indicators set for local authorities and local authority partnerships in England by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Elections: Scotland

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much was paid to Unlock Democracy for its work on the Scottish elections; and what tendering process was used to award the contract for such work.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that Unlock Democracy was paid £14,687 for the research which it carried out on the 2007 Scottish elections, and a report of their findings is available on the Commission's website.
	The Commission used a single tender action, in line with its procurement procedures, to award the contract for this work.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Commonwealth

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nationals of Commonwealth countries serving in the British armed forces have not been permitted to remain in the UK upon returning from active duty in theatre in the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	Commonwealth nationals may apply for settlement under the immigration rules on the basis of completion of four years' service in HM armed forces. Prior to 25 October 2004, similar arrangements applied, though in the form of a concession operated outside the immigration rules. The record of decisions in settlement applications made under either of these arrangements, or in other applications for leave, does not specify whether the applicant has seen active duty, and the information requested could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Commonwealth

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many citizens of other Commonwealth countries served in the UK armed forces in each year of the last 10 years, broken down by country of origin.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows the number of other (non-UK) Commonwealth citizens (based on nationality) who have served in the UK armed forces(1,)( )(2) by country of origin(3) at 1 April each year.
	
		
			  Country  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Australia 70 70 70 70 70 80 80 80 (4)80 (4)90 
			 Bangladesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Barbados 0 10 0 10 10 10 10 10 (4)10 (4)20 
			 Belize 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Botswana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Brunei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Cameroon 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 (4)20 (4)30 
			 Canada 60 70 70 70 70 60 60 60 (4)60 (4)80 
			 St. Kitts and Nevis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Cyprus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Dominica 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 (4)10 (4)20 
			 Fiji(3) 0 20 340 580 1,050 1,480 1,730 1,920 (4)2,000 (4)2,030 
			 Gambia 0 0 0 10 20 40 60 70 (4)80 (4)120 
			 Ghana 0 10 10 20 100 230 440 560 (4)660 (4)790 
			 Grenada 0 0 0 10 10 30 50 50 (4)50 (4)60 
			 Guyana 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 20 (4)20 (4)20 
			 India 10 10 10 20 20 20 40 40 (4)4Q (4)70 
			 Kenya 0 10 10 20 20 40 70 90 (4)100 (4)140 
			 Kiribati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Malawi 0 0 0 0 10 20 60 80 (4)100 (4)120 
			 Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Malta 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Mauritius 0 0 0 0 0 10 20 20 (4)20 (4)30 
			 Namibia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 New Zealand 60 60 60 60 60 70 70 70 (4)70 (4)80 
			 Nigeria 0 0 0 10 20 30 50 50 (4)70 (4)90 
			 Pakistan(3) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Papua New Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 St. Lucia 0 0 0 0 20 210 220 230 (4)220 (4)240 
			 Seychelles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Sierra Leone 0 0 10 10 10 10 20 40 (4)40 (4)50 
			 Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— 0 
			 South Africa 20 40 80 130 230 360 510 620 (4)720 (4)880 
			 Sri Lanka 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 10 (4)10 (4)20 
			 Swaziland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Tanzania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (4)— (4)— 
			 Tonga 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 (4)10 (4)10 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 10 10 10 20 30 50 60 70 (4)70 (4)100 
			 Uganda 0 0 0 0 0 10 20 30 (4)40 (4)60 
			 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 0 0 0 180 170 280 290 280 (4)280 (4)460 
			 West Indies 30 30 40 80 240 620 910 970 (4)990 (4)950 
			 Zambia 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 20 (4)20 (4)20 
			 Zimbabwe(3) 30 50 60 90 200 400 530 560 (4)570 (4)600 
			 Other non-UK Commonwealth 10 20 20 20 20 20 20 10 (4)20 (4)— 
			 UK armed forces(2) 360 450 820 1,430 2,410 4,150 5,420 6,040 (4)6,450 (4)7,240 
			 "0" = zero or rounded to zero. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. (1) Data are for UK regular forces (trained and untrained), including nursing services and excluding full-time Reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. (2) Information by country of origin for Navy personnel is only available post Joint Personal Administration implementation (October 2006 for Navy). Information by country of origin for RAF personnel pre-Joint Personnel Administration (April 2006 for RAF) can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Information in the table is for Army personnel only in 1998 to 2005; for Army and RAF personnel in 2006 and for all services in 2007. All 2006 and 2007 information is marked as provisional due to the ongoing validation of Army Joint Personnel Administration data. (3) Figures include personnel from Fiji and Pakistan which were suspended from the Commonwealth in December 2006 and November 2007 respectively and Zimbabwe which withdrew from the Commonwealth in December 2003. (4) Provisional.  Source: DASA (Quad-Service)

Armed Forces: Foreigners

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-UK citizens discharged from the armed forces did not return to their country of origin in each year for which figures are available  (a) having completed their engagement,  (b) before completing their engagement and  (c) before completing basic training.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available and it cannot be collated retrospectively.
	Since embarkation checks were dismantled in 1994, there has been no means of ascertaining whether non-UK citizens, including those discharged from the armed forces, have or have not returned to their country of origin.

Armed Forces: Pay

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel awarded British Military Parachute Wings  (a) received and  (b) did not receive parachute pay in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The information on how many armed forces personnel awarded British Military Parachute Wings received or did not receive parachute pay each year since 1997 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Chelsea Barracks: Sales

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much from the sale of Chelsea Barracks will be  (a) available to his Department and  (b) returned to HM Treasury; and what the payment schedule is for the sale of Chelsea Barracks.

Derek Twigg: The sale was completed on 31 January and HM Treasury has agreed that the Ministry of Defence will retain the full benefit of the total consideration of £959 million The first two payments have been received totalling £383.6 million with the balance to be paid as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2 February 2009 191.8 
			 1 February 2010 191.8 
			 31 January 2011 191.8

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each of the last 10 years; and what the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years.

Derek Twigg: Press and communications officers are not a separately identifiable employee group within MOD and are subject to the same performance bonus arrangements (including bonus values) as all MOD broader banded civilian employees.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Noise

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she was informed of the Non-Stated Preference peer review findings in relation to the Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England report; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 17 January 2008
	 Officials informed the Secretary of State of the findings of the non-stated preference peer review group at a meeting on 30 October, the day of their receipt in the Department.
	The Secretary of State announced the results of the study on 2 November.

Aviation: Noise

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when  (a) her Department and  (b) the project steering group were informed that the ANCON model would not be used for modelling work undertaken as part of the attitudes to noise from aviation sources in England study (ANASE); which organisations (i) tendered for the ANASE contract, (ii) are represented on the ANASE project board and (iii) peer reviewed the (A) stated preference aspect and (B) other aspects of the study; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 31 January 2008
	The information is as follows:
	(i) The specification for the project did not specify whether the UK Aircraft Noise Contour Model (ANCON) or the U.S FAA's Integrated Noise Model (INM) should be used by the successful contractor, as both models are used in the UK for noise modelling purposes. In July 2002 MVA informed the Department that their preference was to use the INM model because it is publicly available at low cost and meets all the technical requirements of the study. MVA Information Note No. 14 "Project Team Answers to SASIG Questions" dated 15 May 2006—which was circulated to steering group members on 25 May 2006—explained that INM had been used for modelling.
	(ii) The following organisations bid for the ANASE contract:
	Civil Aviation Authority, ITS/Eurocontrol, Peter Davidson Consultancy, MVA Consultancy, Rand Europe, and Steer Davies Gleave.
	(iii) The following organisations were represented on the ANASE steering Group:
	Department for Transport;
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
	Aviation Environment Federation;
	Airport Operators Association;
	British Air Transport Association;
	Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group of the Local Government Association;
	Professor Graham Loomes (School of Economic and Social Studies, University of East Anglia)
	(iv) The Stated Preference elements of the study were peer reviewed by Professor Ian Bateman (School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia), Dr. Brett Day (University of East Anglia) and Professor Mark Wardman (Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds).
	(v) The Non Stated Preference elements of the Study were peer reviewed by Mr. Peter Havelock (Environmental Research and Consultancy Department, Civil Aviation Authority) and Mr. Stephen Turner (Acoustics and Vibration Group, Bureau Veritas).

British Railways Board

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will wind up the British Rail Board (Residuary) and transfer its assets to Network Rail.

Tom Harris: No, that would not be appropriate. BRB (Residuary) Ltd. is responsible for the management of the residual liabilities and assets of the British Railways Board. These include the management and. administration of employee health claims from former employees as well as a property portfolio. Proceeds from its disposals of land are available to the department for funding the current railway.

British Railways Board

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what incentives exist to encourage the British Rail Board (Residuary) speedily to dispose of its assets.

Tom Harris: BRB (Residuary) Ltd. manages the majority of the remaining property rights and liabilities of the British Railways Board. It has been set an objective to dispose of its assets as quickly as possible consistent with the achievement of value for money in line with the Guidance that I issued to the company and announced to Parliament on 26 July 2007. The majority of sites are being sold by auction or tender over the next 15 months to achieve demanding sales target. A small minority of sites are subject to sale agreements or developments involving third parties which can take longer in order to achieve full market value.

Departmental Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) objective and  (b) value is of all contracts placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by her Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A table showing the value and the nature of work undertaken by the above companies for each complete financial year since 2004-05 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) press and  (b) communications officers her Department employed in each year since establishment.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was established in May 2002. Information from that date that is readily available both for the Department DfT(central) and for its agencies is in the table. Some data are not available without disproportionate cost.
	 (a) Press Officers
	The full-time equivalent (FTE) number employed:
	
		
			   DfT(c)  Agencies 
			 2002-03 + (1)12.7 (1)18.0 
			 2003-04 (1)13.8 (1)18.0 
			 2004-05 (1)13.8 (1)19.5 
			 2005-06 (1)14.2 (1)25.0 
			 October 2006 14.2 25.0 
			 1 July 2007 14.0 22.0 
			 1 February 2008 14.0 25.7 
			  Notes: 1. Actuals except (1) which are annual average FTE. 2. + covering the 10 month period from the creation of the Department in May 2002. 
		
	
	 (b) Communications officers
	The Department does not have a 'communication officer' grade. Figures shown are for communication specialists engaged in a range of comms activities, and excluding press officers. The full-time equivalent (FTE) number employed as at:
	
		
			   DfT(c)  Agencies 
			 Prior to October 2006 Comparable data is not available without disproportionate cost 
			 October 2006 39.3 73.5 
			 1 July 2007 35.0 n/a 
			 1 February 2008 43.9 66.4 
		
	
	DfT(c) figures are only for relevant staff working in the Department's Communication Directorate. DfT(c) also employs other communications specialists but numbers are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The 'White Book' of contacts in Government Departments and agencies contains listings for the Department and is updated twice yearly.

Driving Under Influence

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to conduct a public consultation on proposals to revise legislation on drinking and driving.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 5 February 2008
	As explained in last year's report of the second review of the Road Safety Strategy, we are considering what further measures might be taken to make it easier for the police to enforce drink drive laws, and intend to undertake public consultation on our proposals later this year.

Heathrow Airport: Nature Conservation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to Annex B, paragraph 2.34 of the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document, which sites of significant importance for nature conservation have been identified as indirectly negatively affected in terms of biodiversity by the proposals outlined in the consultation paper; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 January 2008
	 The appraisal of the options reported in the "Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport" consultation document does not identify specific sites that might be indirectly affected in terms of biodiversity. Paragraph 2.34 of the consultation document instead refers to the possibility that such sites in general could be adversely affected, primarily by air quality changes.

M1: Tree Felling

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason substantial tree-felling is taking place alongside the southbound carriageway of the M1 motorway south of junction 27; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The tree felling that is taking place southbound of junction 27 is to enable the motorway carriageways to be widened from dual three to dual four lanes as part of the widening scheme between junctions 25 and 28 of the M1. The trees and vegetation are only being removed within the highway boundary and only where necessary for the works.
	Once the scheme is in its later stages, extensive replanting, in line with landscape designs presented in the Environmental Statement, will be undertaken. This will include 135,000 trees and shrubs within the highway boundary.

Railways

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage change from a 2007 baseline she has projected for  (a) rail passenger and  (b) freight mileage by (i) 2009, (ii) 2014, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2024.

Tom Harris: holding answer 4 February 2008
	The percentage change relative to 2007-08 for rail passenger miles on franchised services in England and Wales is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage growth 
			 2009-10 6 
			 2014-15 21 
			 2019-20 34 
			 2024-25 40 
		
	
	Rail freight is a commercial business between the freight operators and Network Rail. The Department for Transport does not make forecasts of this traffic.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 48W, on roads: accidents, what proportion of deaths on roads occurred on  (a) motorways,  (b) trunk roads,  (c) B roads and  (d) other roads in the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The proportion of fatalities in reported road accidents, in  (a) St. Ives  (b) Cornwall and  (c) Great Britain by road type are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  (a) St. Ives constituency( 1) 
			  Percentage of fatalities 
			   Motorways  A roads  B roads  Other roads 
			 1997 0 40 10 50 
			 1998 0 75 0 25 
			 1999 0 75 25 0 
			 2000 0 33 50 17 
			 2001 0 88 13 0 
			 2002 0 75 13 13 
			 2003 0 80 20 0 
			 2004 0 0 67 33 
			 2005 0 57 14 29 
			 2006 0 45 27 27 
			 (1) Based on 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b )  Cornwall 
			  Percentage of fatalities 
			   Motorways  A roads  B roads  Other roads 
			 1997 0 56 11 33 
			 1998 0 62 22 16 
			 1999 0 63 13 23 
			 2000 0 57 26 17 
			 2001 0 70 13 18 
			 2002 0 70 15 15 
			 2003 0 73 13 13 
			 2004 0 59 14 27 
			 2005 0 60 11 29 
			 2006 0 58 20 22 
		
	
	
		
			  (c )  Great Britain 
			  Percentage of fatalities 
			   Motorways  A roads  B roads  Other roads 
			 1997 5 59 13 22 
			 1998 5 58 13 24 
			 1999 6 58 13 24 
			 2000 6 58 14 23 
			 2001 6 58 14 22 
			 2002 7 58 13 22 
			 2003 6 58 14 22 
			 2004 5 57 14 24 
			 2005 6 56 14 24 
			 2006 6 57 13 24

Roads: Accidents

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 48W, on Roads: Accidents, what assessment she had made of the causes of the reduction of the number of deaths from road accidents in the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: An analysis of the key causes of road collisions, including those which were fatal, can be found in the second three-year review of the Government's road safety strategy, which is available from our website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/strategytargetsperformance/2ndreview/screen

Roads: Construction

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new road have been built in each year since 1997. [Official Report, 20 November 2008, Vol. 483, c. 3MC.]

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 The following table shows the total miles of trunk road and motorway built in each year from 1997 to December 2007.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Scheme miles 
			 1997 75.1 
			 1998 51.5 
			 1999 28.9 
			 2000 23 
			 2001 2.2 
			 2002 19.1 
			 2003 85 
			 2004 31.3 
			 2005 21.5 
			 2006 38.6 
			 2007 28.82 
			 Total 405 
		
	
	These figures are currently being reviewed.
	Data on lengths of non-trunk roads constructed are not collected centrally and an overall figure are not therefore available.

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average weight of a two-car train was in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1997 and  (c) 2006.

Tom Harris: holding answer 4 February 2008
	The Department for Transport does not hold information in the form requested. However, the following tables compare the weight of representative two-car diesel and electric multiple unit trains built during the period specified.
	
		
			  Build year  Class of DMU  Weight of two-car units (tonnes) 
			 1985 Class 156 74 
			 1997 Class 170 90 
			 2005 Class 171 92 
		
	
	
		
			  Build year  Class of EMU  Weight of two-car units (tonnes) 
			 1991 Class 456 72 
			 1995 Class 466 71 
		
	
	In the period covered by this question, there has been a general increase in average train weight driven by improvements in crashworthiness and the introduction of features such as power doors, air conditioning and double glazing.
	A degree of caution is needed, however, in comparing train weights as different trains will have different carrying capacities and performance characteristics (such as top speed and acceleration).
	The technical specification recently published by DfT for the Intercity Express high speed train, has a strong emphasis on reducing weight through the application of industry best practice and improvements in track quality.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Admiralty House

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Department took the decision that the ministerial residence occupied by Lord Malloch Brown was to be refurbished and redecorated when the right hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Hull (Mr. Prescott) vacated the flat in Admiralty House.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office authorised the minor works undertaken.

Admiralty House

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date Lord Malloch Brown first occupied his official ministerial residence in Admiralty House.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 14 November 2007,  Official Report, column 313W.

Afghanistan: Capital Punishment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department  (a) has made and  (b) plans to make on the arrest and sentencing to death of Afghan resident Sayed Pervez Kambaksh.

Kim Howells: The Government were concerned to hear about the case of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh. We are opposed to the death penalty. We fully support the right to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial. We are pursuing the matter in Afghanistan through the EU and UN. The office of the UN special representative in Afghanistan has already called publicly for a review of the case.

Afghanistan: Capital Punishment

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Afghanistan on the death sentence imposed on Sayed Pervez Kambaksh; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government were concerned to hear about the case of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh. We are opposed to the death penalty. We fully support the right to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial. We are pursuing the matter in Afghanistan through the EU and UN. The office of the UN Special Representative in Afghanistan has already called publicly for a review of the case.

Antarctic: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research activity the UK is conducting in the Antarctic; what the objectives of such research are; what reports he has received of research activities by other states in the Antarctic; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UK is committed to maintaining its leading role in Antarctic science and research, including in areas such as climate change, sea level rise and the sustainable use of natural resources. The contribution of UK scientists, especially those at the British Antarctic Survey, a research institute of the Natural Environment Research Council, not only helps increase our understanding of the complex natural systems that are vital to the health of the planet, but also underpins the UK's high profile within the Antarctic Treaty System. UK scientists are also playing a full and active role in the International Polar Year 2007-09. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, based at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, is responsible for coordinating international research programmes in Antarctica. Details of other states' research activities are communicated using a combination of reports from national Antarctic research programmes, science conferences and published scientific journals and publications.

Antarctic: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on oil exploration and research in the Antarctic by other countries; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We have received no such reports on oil research and exploration in the Antarctic. The UK is fully committed to upholding the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty including the Protocol on Environmental Protection and its clear prohibition on any activity related to mineral resources, other than scientific research.

Aral Sea

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the impact on the Aral sea of cotton farm irrigation in Uzbekistan, with particular reference to the effect on the population of Karakalpakstan.

Jim Murphy: The Aral sea has been recognised as the world's worst artificial ecological and environmental disaster. From 1960 to 2000, it lost 75 per cent. of its volume and 50 per cent. of its surface area. Its degradation has been ruinous to the people, plant and animal life in the region, including Karakalpakstan. The degradation has been caused primarily by excessive use, dating back to Soviet times, of the waters of the two main rivers flowing into it, the Syr-Daria and Amu-Daria, to irrigate the cotton fields in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. None of the 20 species of fish once found in the Aral survived. However, a dam has now been built between the northern and southern part of the Aral sea with international assistance from the World Bank. Since completion in 2005, the World Bank reports that the water level in the northern part of the sea has gradually risen and, between 2003 and 2006, increased by 13 per cent. in surface area (from 2,850 km square to 3,250 km square).
	A spillway passing excess water from the northern to the southern part of the Aral sea has been operational since February 2006 and the water level in the southern part is also now likely to increase in the future, though probably only marginally. Salinity levels of both parts of the sea have been reduced over the last two years and several freshwater fish have been returned to the sea. As a result, fish harvests have considerably increased during the past two years.
	According to the World Bank, the next step is to improve the irrigation efficiency of the land in the Kazakh part of the Aral sea basin. Additional waterworks are also planned to restore wetlands and fishing lakes in the delta region. A World Bank project to this end began in 2007.
	Details of the World Bank project can be found at:
	http://www.worldbank.org.kz/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=361869&menuPK=361901&Projectid=P046045
	The Aral sea is an international problem which will require an international solution. In its "Strategy for Central Asia", which will be adopted at the European Council on 21-22 June, the EU commits itself, inter alia, to support the implementation of the EU Water Initiative for safe water supply and integrated water resources management; promotion of transboundary river basin management and regional co-operation and support the integrated management of surface and underground transboundary water resources, including the introduction of techniques for more efficient water use particularly in irrigation.

British Overseas Territories: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to protect sea birds in the overseas territories.

Meg Munn: The Government have provided over £820,000 since 2004 for projects and activities for the protection of seabirds in the overseas territories. Projects include habitat restoration, the production of management plans to guard against the negative impact of human activity on the environment and education projects on Ascension Island and in the Falkland Islands to inform school children about the local environment. The Government have also agreed to fund an agreement for the conservation of Albatross and Petrels co-ordinator to assist territories in the South Atlantic to monitor and report on seabird populations.

Brunei: Gurkhas

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Government of Brunei on increasing the provision of married quarters for Royal Ghurkha Rifles personnel stationed in Brunei.

Meg Munn: We hold regular bilateral meetings with the Government of Brunei, at which accommodation, including service family accommodation for the Brunei garrison is discussed. A multi-million pound build programme for the garrison is in progress and is already delivering new housing for the battalion and its families.

Departmental Telephone Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much revenue was generated by each  (a) 0845 and  (b) 0870 telephone code used by his Department's agencies for customer enquiry lines in each of the last five years.

Meg Munn: The 0845/0870 numbers, in use by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, are provided free of charge and for our convenience by the service provider.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office generates no revenue from their use.

EU Reform: Treaties

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on plans for the forthcoming Irish referendum on the EU Constitution; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular contact with his Irish counterpart on a variety of issues. He has received no representations on the forthcoming Irish referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures the Government are taking to protect the fisheries around the Falkland Islands from unauthorised fishing by foreign vessels.

Meg Munn: The Falkland Islands Government exercise responsibility for protecting fisheries around the Falkland Islands from unauthorised fishing. In order to achieve this task the Falkland Islands Government have two maritime surveillance aircraft, a chartered fisheries protection vessel and a satellite based vessel monitoring system. Additionally, a small number of fisheries observers are deployed on the commercial fleet. Their primary role is the collection of scientific data but they also monitor compliance with regulations.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what forecasts have been made of the future level of fish stocks in the Falkland Islands waters.

Meg Munn: Since the introduction of the first fisheries conservation zone around the Falkland Islands in 1986 and the beginning of the regulated fishery, fin fish stocks in the Falkland Islands have been relatively stable. Squid stocks are less stable due to their short life cycle (one-year) and dependence on favourable environmental conditions. After a period of decline, stocks of the main squid species now appear to have returned to normal levels. Apart from the noted volatility of squid stocks, we expect conservation action to generally maintain stock levels and catches at current levels.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Argentine Government on the issuing of licences to fish in Falkland Islands waters.

Meg Munn: We have had no recent discussions with the Argentine Government on the issue of licences to fish in Falkland Islands waters. The Falkland Islands Government has responsibility for the licensing of fishing in its waters, in line with international best practice. We do participate in fisheries discussions with Argentina through the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission. We last met the Argentine Government to discuss the mandate of the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission in March 2007.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what regulations govern the activity of fishing vessels in Falkland Islands waters.

Meg Munn: The Falkland Islands Government license commercial fishing in Falkland Islands waters in line with their legislation on conservation and management of fish stocks. The legal and regulatory framework in which the Falkland Islands' fishery operates has been modernised and re-stated recently with the enactment of the Fisheries (Conservation and Management) Ordinance 2005. These regulations are similar to those used in other fisheries around the world where international best practice is adhered to.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much revenue the issuing of fishing licences to foreign vessels generated for the Falkland Islands in each year for which figures are available.

Meg Munn: The issuing of fishing licences by the Falkland Islands Government has generated the following amounts for each of the calendar years since 1989 (the earliest year for which figures are available):
	
		
			   Income  generated from fishing licences (£) 
			 1989 29,001,223 
			 1990 27,942,586 
			 1991 26,360,901 
			 1992 26,513,702 
			 1993 21,073,205 
			 1994 26,690,547 
			 1995 20,348,929 
			 1996 21,977,242 
			 1997 21,296,309 
			 1998 19,577,548 
			 1999 20,182,480 
			 2000 24,780,401 
			 2001 27,685,053 
			 2002 26,552,083 
			 2003 20,466,419 
			 2004 11,912,319 
			 2005 10,552,357 
			 2006 14,401,541 
		
	
	Figures for income generated by the sale of licences specifically to foreign vessels is only available for the last three years. These amounts are:
	
		
			   Income generated from fishing licences to foreign vessels (£) 
			 2005 5,268,712 
			 2006 7,655,134 
			 2007 8,788,340 
		
	
	The Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department supplied these figures. The responsibility for the sale of fishing licences lies with the Falkland Islands Government.

Falkland Islands: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many species of endangered  (a) animals and  (b) birds there are in the Falkland Islands; and what estimate he has made of the numbers of each.

Meg Munn: There are four species of animals and two species of birds found in the Falkland Islands and their waters that are listed as endangered in the 2007 IUCN (the World Conservation Union) Redlist. The animals listed are the Grey Skate, Blue Whale, Fin Whale and Sei Whale. The birds are the Northern Royal Albatross and Black-browed Albatross. The Falklands Island Government are responsible for the protection of endangered species in the Falkland Islands. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not carried out research to estimate the numbers of those endangered animals or birds in the Falkland Islands.

Falkland Islands: Seals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the populations of seals and sealions in the Falkland Islands and its waters; and what steps the Government is taking to protect them.

Meg Munn: In 2003, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided 20,000 to Falklands Conservation, an environmental non-governmental organisation, to carry out a sea-lion census. The Sea Mammal Research Unit of the University of St. Andrews, a specialist marine unit with the relevant marine experience, carried out the census on behalf of Falklands Conservation. Its report estimated there to be 7,047 sea-lions, including 2,747 pups. The census did not include seals, for which there are no estimates available. No further census of sea-lions or seals has taken place since 2003. The responsibility for the protection of seals and sea-lions in the Falkland Islands lies with the Falkland Islands Government. Seals and sea-lions are protected by Falkland Islands legislation.

Foreigners: Honours

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) substantive and  (b) honorary awards of each class of honour have been made to foreign nationals in each of the last five years.

Meg Munn: The total number of substantive awards to non-British nationals on the diplomatic service and overseas honours list (i.e. citizens of Her Majesty the Queen's realms and overseas territories) is as follows:
	
		
			   MBE( 1)  OBE( 2)  CBE( 3)  CMG( 4)  DBE( 5)  Knight Bachelor  Colonial Police Medal  Total 
			 New year 2003 6 2 — — — — — 8 
			 Birthday 2003 5 2 — — — — — 7 
			 New year 2004 7 3 2 1 — — — 13 
			 Birthday 2004 4 1 — 1 1 — — 7 
			 New year 2005 2 4 — — — — — 6 
			 Birthday 2005 4 1 — — 1 — 1 7 
			 New year 2006 4 3 1 — — — — 8 
			 Birthday 2006 1 1 — — — 1 1 4 
			 New year 2007 4 1 — 1 — — 1 7 
			 Birthday 2007 5 3 — — — — — 8 
			 New year 2008 4 — — — — — — 4 
			 (1) Member of the Order of the British Empire (2 )Order of the British Empire (3 )CBE - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (4 )Companion (of the Order Of) St Michael and St George (5 )DBE - Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire 
		
	
	Details of those receiving honorary awards from 2000 to 2006 have been placed in the Library of the House. From the beginning of 2007, the list of those receiving honorary awards appears on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=l166536150628.

Single European Act

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what passerelle clauses were  (a) introduced by and  (b) established in legislation made under the Single European Act.

David Miliband: The Single European Act introduced one amending provision ('passerelle'). This was article 130S, relating to environment policy. It allowed the Council to define, by unanimity, environment policy issues on which decisions could be taken by qualified majority. The Single European Act was given effect in UK law by the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1986.

United Nations: Sanctions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1043W, on United Nations: Sanctions, what representations have been made to his Department on the appropriateness and equity of the targeting of UN sanctions under chapter VII of the UN Charter on persons within the UK; whether there are reasonable opportunities for the subjects of sanctions to appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received representations from legal representatives of designated individuals seeking assistance in challenging their listing by the UN Security Council or requesting exemptions to meet basic or extraordinary expenses. Important reforms have been made in recent years to the Security Council's procedures for considering such requests, including the establishment of a focal point for receiving delisting petitions by UN Security Council resolution 1730 (2006). This has increased the opportunities for designated individuals to make their views known to the Security Council. The Government will continue to give representations on such matters due consideration.

United Nations: Sanctions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people within the UK have been the subject of sanctions  (a) under chapter VII of the UN Charter imposed by the United Nations Security Council and  (b) by European Union institutions and agencies since 1999; how many of these have subsequently been removed from such lists; and what the average duration of such sanctions has been in the last 10 years.

Kim Howells: There are currently 16 UK residents subject to sanctions by the UN Security Council and one UK resident subject to sanctions by the European Union. A further UK resident was removed from the UN Security Council list and another from the European Union list in 2005. The Government have not collated information on the average length of time spent by individuals on either list as to collate this information would incur disproportionate cost.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council England

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been given by the Arts Council England to amateur operatic societies in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The Arts Council has provided amateur operatic societies with the following support:
	2003-04: £13,088
	2004-05: £5,000
	2005-06: £8,735
	2006-07: £22,414
	and 2007-08 (up to November 2007) £20,500
	In addition, the following support has been provided to more general activities such as festivals and community centres that include an element of operatic activity:
	2003-04: £0
	2004-05: £9,936
	2005-06: £19,288
	2006-07: £7,750
	and 2007-08 (up to November 2007) £47,260
	I met the hon. Member with a delegation and suggested ways to persue other funding options.

Blue Plaques

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what  (a) funding and  (b) advice and assistance his Department makes available to encourage and facilitate the installation of blue plaques.

Margaret Hodge: From its grant in aid, English Heritage has allocated a budget of £248,594 to its Blue Plaques team for 2007-08. English Heritage does not install blue plaques outside London or provide funding for others to do so. It actively offers advice to those who run, or wish to set up, local schemes of this type.
	English Heritage inherited the blue plaques scheme in 1986 when the Greater London council was abolished. It opened up the Scheme in April 1999 on a pilot basis to cities and areas around the country. After a period of review, it was decided in early 2007 that this scheme should be re-focused solely on London. This decision was based on a number of factors, including the low number of plaques which English Heritage could realistically expect to install resulting in minimal impact for considerable investment, and feedback from a number of local authorities and other groups who suggested these plaques would not be welcome or appropriate in their areas, partly due to the existence of an increasing number of flourishing local schemes.

Blue Plaques

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department provided in 2007 for the installation of blue plaques  (a) inside and  (b) outside London; and to which organisations.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 29 January 2008
	From its grant in aid, English Heritage has allocated a budget of £248,594 to its blue plaques team for 2007-08. English Heritage does not install blue plaques outside London or provide funding for others to do so. It actively offers advice to those who run, or wish to set up, local schemes of this type.
	English Heritage inherited the Blue Plaques Scheme in 1986 when the Greater London Council was abolished. It opened up the scheme in April 1999 on a pilot basis to cities and areas around the country. After a period of review, it was decided in early 2007 that this scheme should be re-focused solely on London. This decision was based on a number of factors, including the low number of plaques which English Heritage could realistically expect to install resulting in minimal impact for considerable investment, and feedback from a number of local authorities and other groups who suggested these plaques would not be welcome or appropriate in their areas, partly due to the existence of an increasing number of flourishing local schemes.

British Library

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the British Library on the safeguarding and monitoring of books and other materials in its care.

Margaret Hodge: Most recently, in the context of the comprehensive spending review, both I and my right hon Friend the Secretary of State had discussions with the British Library about the financial settlement required to ensure that the Library is able to care for their collections.
	Their excellent settlement includes significant capital funding to build new, high-specification storage for the national newspaper collection, demonstrating Government's commitment to safeguarding the British Library's collections for future generations of researchers.

Capita

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008, to the hon. Member for Southend, West,  Official Report, columns 2169-70W, on Capita, what services were received from Capita in each of the last three financial years for the payments listed.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In my reply to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 24 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 2169-70W, there was an error in the total amount paid in 2007-08. The correct amount should be £489,295 and not £470,913.
	The services received from Capita in each of the last three financial years were as follows:
	 2005-06
	£84,859 for funds transfer through Capita which is paid to individuals who retire/leave the Department early (i.e. lump sum pension payments). The contract is set up by the Cabinet Office and the amount shown is not actually paid to Capita, they are simply used as a funding vehicle.
	£5,833 for the provision of occupational health administration. Contract was set up by the Cabinet Office.
	£5,113 for the provision of learning and development course.
	£7,050 for the provision of recruitment services exercise.
	 2006- 07
	£383,431 for funds transfer through Capita which is paid to individuals who retire/leave the Department early (i.e. lump sum pension payments). The contract is set up by the Cabinet Office and the amount shown is not actually paid to Capita, they are simply used as a funding vehicle.
	£12,078 for the provision of occupational health administration. Contract was set up by the Cabinet Office.
	£32,431 for the provision of recruitment services.
	£524 for the provision of training and development services
	 2007-08
	£458,519 for funds transfer through Capita which is paid to individuals who retire/leave the Department early (i.e. lump sum pension payments). The contract is set up by the Cabinet Office and the amount shown is not actually paid to Capita, they are simply used as a funding vehicle.
	£8,842 for the provision of occupational health administration. Contract was set up by the Cabinet Office.
	£1,627 for the provision of learning and development course.
	£20,307 for the provision of travel services for flights.

Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many casinos there were in the UK in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The list shows the number of casinos operating in Great Britain as at 31 March for each year since 1996-97 and at the latest available date.
	
		
			  To 31 March  Number of casinos operating 
			 1997 116 
			 1998 116 
			 1999 116 
			 2000 118 
			 2001 118 
			 2002 122 
			 2003 126 
			 2004 131 
			 2005 138 
			 2006 140 
			 2007 138 
			 29 January 2008 144

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what requirements his Department and its agency place on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department requires an annual audit of IT equipment by its outsourced IT providers. This is done on DCMS premises.
	Personal data are audited on a monthly basis by our payroll contractors.
	Secure point to point courier services are used to transfer data between DCMS and its service suppliers. The suppliers are contractually bound to keep data safe and secure, and limit access to personal data while in their custody.
	The Royal Parks Agency does not have formal procedures but exercise caution when sharing sensitive data.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme: Copeland

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1809W, on Digital Switchover Help Scheme: Copeland, when the detailed evaluation of the programme to switch off analogue television services in the Copeland area will be completed; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Andy Burnham: Digital UK are conducting a rigorous evaluation of the switchover process in Copeland which they plan to publish around the end of March.

Olympic Games 2012: Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been ringfenced for promoting tourism in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 January 2008
	Following the publication of the DCMS-led Tourism Strategy for 2012 last September, VisitBritain is currently leading a Strategic Review of the £350 million spent by public bodies to support tourism.
	The Review will consider among other things the best mechanisms for promoting the UK between now and the 2012 Games. The Review includes full consultation with devolved, regional, and local governments and the tourism industry, and is designed to maximise the impact of public funding for 2012-related tourism work. It is also considering the role of the industry itself in funding the tourism promotion of the Games.

Public Libraries: Closures

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which public libraries have closed in each London borough since 1997; and in which year each closed.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not compiled centrally. The total number of library service points within each local authority (but not their names or locations) is published annually in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) report Public Library Statistics. The House of Commons Library holds copies of the report for the period in question.

Video Games: Violence

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) people and  (b) under 18-year-olds have participated in the Byron Review of the effects of video games to date; what percentage of the population this represents; how many people he expects to participate in the Review in total; when he expects the Review to be published; and what plans for further research on the effects of violent video games on (i) adults and (ii) children his Department has.

Margaret Hodge: Dr. Byron is expected to complete her independent review looking at risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games in March 2008.
	Dr. Byron has engaged a wide range of stakeholders, largely through the involvement of around 150 umbrella organisations. Some of these groups have undertaken their own consultations or commissioned quantitative research.
	In addition, Dr. Byron held two public calls for evidence, one specifically aimed at children and young people under 18, for which received around 350 responses. We expect the review to publish a list of contributors, including details of focus group research carried out with children and parents and discussions with children's boards.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no current plans to conduct further research in this area, although we may reconsider this when we see the findings of the review, if it is deemed appropriate.

Wicksteed Park

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will visit Wicksteed Park in Kettering to discuss with the Wicksteed Trust how his Department might assist the promotion and development of the UK's first leisure park for the benefit of the local and wider community.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 5 February 2008
	My Department and its partner non-departmental public bodies are of course keen to assist the promotion and development of attractions such as those provided by the Wicksteed Trust. Indeed, Wicksteed Park is promoted by VisitBritain's websites (which promote Britain abroad and England to the domestic markets). The Park was also featured in the recent 'Family Fun' campaign.
	The Wicksteed Trust has received funding from English Heritage, through a substantial grant in 2006 for the repair of the orangery. The Trust has also received grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2003 and 2006.
	Regarding children's play facilities specifically, the Children's Play Information Service produces a fact sheet on potential sources of funding, 'How to raise funds for children's play'. It is available through the National Children's Bureau website.
	There are many projects and organisations across the Cultural sectors which deserve support. As outlined, the Trust does in fact receive support from my Department and its partners through existing programmes. If the Trust were to write to me with an invitation, I would be happy to consider visiting Wicksteed Park should other commitments permit it.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's performance against objectives in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq has been in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 4 February 2008
	The information requested can be found in the DFID annual report. Copies of this are available in both Libraries of the House.

Departmental Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of his Department's expenditure was on advertising in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: DFID does not hold a separate advertising budget and we do not hold figures for advertising expressed in financial years prior to 2002-03. The majority of our advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Since 2002-03 less than 0.02 per cent of DFID's total expenditure was on advertising.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2080W, on departmental marketing, what the dimensions are of the display in the Palace Street offices.

Shahid Malik: The dimensions of the photographs and frames used in the display of former Ministers in Palace Street are in the following table. This display is not for, and has never been used for, any departmental marketing purposes.
	
		
			  Ministerial photograph and caption  Frame size  Image size 
			 Mr A E Gram MP , Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Overseas Development: October 1964 to October 1969 33cm x 39 cm tall 15 cm x 17 cm 
			 Mr. Ben Whittaker, MP, parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Overseas Development: October 1969 to June 1970 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 20 cm 
			 Right hon. Barbara Castle MP, Minister of Overseas Development: October 1964 to December 1965 33 cm x 39 cm 20 cm x 15 cm 
			 Right hon. Robert Carr MP, Secretary for Technical Co-operation: May 1963 to October 1964 33 cm x 39 cm 20 cm x 15 cm 
			 Right hon. Denis Vosper TD MP, Secretary for Technical Co-operation: June 1961 to May 1968 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 20 cm 
			 Mr John Tomlinson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister of Overseas Development: June 1977 to May 1979 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 20 cm 
			 The Right hon. Anthony Greenwood MP Minister of Overseas Development: December 1965 to August 1966 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 19.5 cm 
			 The Right hon. Arthur Bottomley MP, Minister of Overseas Development: August 1966 to August 1967 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 19.5 cm 
			 The Right hon. Richard Wood MP, Minister for Overseas Development: June 1970 to March 1974 33 cm x 39 cm 22 cm x 19 cm 
			 Right hon. W. Price MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Overseas Development: March 1974 to September 1974 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 19 cm 
			 Mr John Grant MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister of Overseas Development: October 1974 to April 1976 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 19 cm 
			 The Right hon. Reginald Prentice J.P MP, Minister of Overseas Development: August 1967 to October 1969, June 1975 to December 1976 33 cm x 39 cm 16 cm x 21 cm 
			 Frank Judd MP, Minister of Overseas Development: December 1976 to February 1977 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 19.5 cm 
			 The Right hon. Judith Hart MP, Minister of Overseas Development: October 1969 to June 1970, March 1974 to June 1976, February 1877 to May 1979 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 15 cm 
			 The Right hon. Sir Neil Martin MP, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Minister for Overseas Development: May 1969 - January 1983 33 cm x 39 cm 15 cm x 20cm 
			 The Right hon. Timothy Raison MP, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Minister for Overseas Development: January 1983 - September 1986 33cm wide x 39cm tall 15 cm x 20cm 
			 Christopher Patten MP, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Minister for Overseas Development: September 1986 - July 1989: 33cm wide x 39cm tall 15 cm x 18.5 cm 
			 The Right hon. The Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Minister for Overseas Development: July 1987-April 1989 33cm wide x 39cm tall 15 cm x 19cm 
			 The Right hon. Clare Short MP, Secretary of State for International Development: May 1997-May 2003 33cm wide x 39cm tall 13.5 cm x 19 cm 
			 The Right hon. Baroness Valerie Amos, Secretary of State for International Development: May 2003 - October 2003 33cm wide x 39cm tall 13 cm x 16 cm

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made towards the millennium development goal of improving maternal health in each year since 2000; and what steps his Department is taking to address socio-economic obstacles to progress in developing countries where the rate of improvement has been comparatively low.

Gillian Merron: Modest progress has been made in reaching MDG 5 since 2000 by the international community. There has been some improvement in parts of India, China, Nepal and Bangladesh, but maternal death rates are increasing in some sub-Saharan African countries because of HIV infection, conflict and weak health systems. The most recent figures, for 2005, show that the number of maternal deaths worldwide increased to 536,000 each year from 529,000 in 2000.
	The UK Government supported the "Women Deliver" conference in October 2007, which highlighted the need for accelerated progress in order to meet the maternal health Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and identified the socio-economic obstacles which women face when seeking maternal care as a key area to be addressed. During the conference, the UK Government announced that a further £100 million over five years will be provided through the united nations population fund to improve access to family planning commodities and equipment.
	DFID's "Reducing maternal deaths: evidence and action", published in April 2004, sets out our maternal health strategy, including how to address the wider social and economic barriers to access.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to assist developing countries to introduce environmentally sustainable development schemes since 1997;
	(2)  what steps the Government have taken to encourage developing countries to prioritise environmentally-friendly policies since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: DFID works with other donors to help poorer countries identify their own development priorities, policies and plans that incorporate environmental sustainability. DFID also works with others to help partner countries tackle specific environmental challenges, such as better use of forests, water, land and fisheries. Examples of action since 1997 are:
	Helping Governments address the environment in the poverty reduction strategies of Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.
	DFID joint funded the UNDP Poverty Environment Initiative which helped Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Vietnam and Cambodia to include environmental management for poverty reduction in their development plans.
	Work with other donors to produce OECD guidance that helps developing countries produce national strategies for sustainable development.
	Leading production of OECD guidance on the use of strategic environmental assessment in development cooperation.
	Defra are leading work with DFID and FCO on Sustainable Development Dialogues that help China, India, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico to introduce sustainable development policies, plans and activities.
	Integrating forestry issues into development assistance provided at regional and country programme level, such as in Indonesia and Cameroon.
	DFID is supporting capacity building and institutional reform in fisheries in several developing countries (in southern Africa, Sierra Leone and India).
	DFID will also provide core funding of £6 million to UN Environment Programme (UNEP) between 2008 and 2011, in addition to the £4.2 million from Defra in 2007. DFID assistance will help UNEP strengthen its poverty and environment work with developing countries, including joint work with UNDP to help poor countries introduce environmentally sustainable development policies and plans.
	DFID is helping developing country Governments prepare for climate change, contributing £20 million to UN funds for developing adaptation strategies and piloting adaptation projects.
	The Environment Transformation Fund (ETF) has an £800 million international window to be managed jointly by DFID and Defra. This will support development and poverty reduction through environmental protection, and help poor countries respond to climate change. £50 million has already been earmarked for tackling deforestation in the Congo Basin.

Fair Trade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on the use of fair trade goods  (a) in staff catering facilities and  (b) at official departmental functions and meetings; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID uses ethically traded items wherever possible in its staff restaurants and for official functions and meetings. For instance, all tea and coffee served in the building is currently fair trade. We also serve other items such as fruit and chocolate, and disposable items, which are fairly traded and certified by either the Fairtrade Foundation or other certification schemes such as Rainforest Alliance.

Gaza: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to provide aid supplies to the people of Gaza affected by recent events.

Shahid Malik: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development gave to the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) and my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 30 January 2008,  Official Report , column 297.

HIV Infection: Children

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to provide support to strengthen the organisational capacity of national Governments and civil society working with children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government are working with The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in support of plans for national orphans and vulnerable children and to ensure that they are fully in line with broader national HIV/AIDS plans. Better plans will enable social welfare ministries to meet their own objectives and to co-ordinate the efforts of others, including civil society organisations.
	DFID's funding through public partnership agreements also supports civil society organisations to respond to the needs of children affected by AIDS. These organisations include Plan UK, World Vision and Save the Children.

India: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to assist development in India since 1997.

Shahid Malik: DFID has maintained a large development programme in India since 1997 (currently DFID's largest country programme). Over that period DFID has worked in close partnership with the Indian Government (and also with multilateral and civil society) to help improve India's progress against the millennium development goals.
	In 1997, the programme was geographically dispersed and covered a wide range of sectors. Over the next decade, the programme budget rose steadily but the portfolio was honed so that DFID India was managing fewer, larger projects in those sectors where we knew we were having the most impact; particularly health, education, rural livelihoods and urban development. DFID now only works at the state level in the five states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal, as well as with central Government.
	DFID India is soon to launch its new country plan for India, setting out its strategy to 2015. As well as continuing to work in those sectors where significant impact has been made, there will be an enhanced focus on the poorest sections of Indian society. There will also be a new element in which DFID collaborates with the Indian Government on poverty issues that affect the poor worldwide and not just in India, such as climate change.

Mozambique: Floods

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to assist Mozambique to rebuild the damage caused by the latest floods.

Gillian Merron: We are monitoring developments in Mozambique very closely. DFID's humanitarian adviser has just returned from the region and discussed with the Government of Mozambique their preparedness and response plans.
	DFID has provided some £97,000, through Save the Children, for the delivery of emergency water and sanitation to 10,000 affected people. The UN is also drawing on the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for priority operations in the humanitarian response. The UK Government are the biggest contributor to the CERF having provided £40 million in 2008. The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) launched a preliminary appeal for $7.3 million to address the immediate humanitarian needs of up to 150,000 people across the region. DFID is finalizing its response to this appeal.
	Assessments of the situation by Government, UN and NGO agencies are ongoing and DFID continues to monitor the situation closely. We will respond as unmet humanitarian needs are identified.

Overseas Aid: Malaria

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had on funding for malarial control in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: This is a matter of ongoing discussion and consideration within the Department for International Development.
	DFID provides support for malaria control through a variety of channels including international organisations and partnerships, bilateral country programmes and through financing research.
	With others, DFID is currently looking at additional ways of scaling up malaria control in a comprehensive fashion. The Roll Back Malaria Partnership and DFID are leading the discussions on the Affordable Medicines for Malaria (AMFm) facility. This will subsidise the purchase price of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) and support a package of interventions along the supply chain so they become more affordable and accessible in developing countries where resistance has developed to traditional therapies. Other possibilities include increasing public health measures including bednet provision, improved diagnostics and research into a vaccine.

Plastic Bags

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many branded plastic bags his Department has purchased in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Shahid Malik: Disaggregated information on any products procured with departmental or Government branding is not available. A range of branded materials are produced and purchased as an integral part of work to raise public awareness of international development, but it is not possible without incurring disproportionate cost to establish whether plastic bags featured among these products in the past two years.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bellwin Scheme

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have applied for Bellwin scheme funding consequent upon the flooding of July 2007; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: 19 local authorities have so far applied for funding through the Bellwin scheme for the flooding in July. Originally, 52 local authorities registered an intention to do so. We are ready to make payments—which, exceptionally, will reimburse 100 per cent. of eligible costs above a threshold—within 15 working days of receiving valid claims.

Bellwin Scheme

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) advice and  (b) assistance her Department is providing to local authorities who have registered their intention to claim under the Bellwin scheme in respect of flood damage; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Department places guidance about the operation of the scheme and the likely eligibility of costs on its website at the start of each year, so that authorities have a good understanding in advance about how the scheme works.
	In the aftermath of the floods in summer 2007, the Department contacted affected authorities to ensure that they were aware of the Bellwin scheme and the need to register an intention to claim within a month of the flooding. Officials held seminars in Leeds and London to provide specific information and advice, and to allow authorities to ask specific questions. This was accompanied by letters to authorities, describing the terms of the scheme (including the special terms for this scheme). Government offices reinforced the key messages in regular communications with authorities, including the availability of the Bellwin team within my Department to provide advice.
	Since then, the Bellwin team has provided tailored advice to individual authorities, through meetings, e-mail correspondence, phone contact and, where appropriate, site visits.
	The Department has now paid £8.8 million under the Bellwin scheme in respect of the 2007 floods; and expects to make further payments shortly.

Care Homes: Planning

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities with planning responsibilities on  (a) the delivery of housing with care for older people and  (b) developing the extra care model of accommodation supported by the Department of Health; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government worked with the Department of Health, the Care Service Improvement Partnership and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to publish the RTPI Good Practice Note 8 on Extra Care Housing in October 2007.
	We will shortly be publishing a national strategy for housing in an ageing society which covers the strategic role of local authorities with planning responsibilities and the development of specialised housing for older people. Alongside the strategy a practical toolkit for local authorities will be published to help with the strategic development of housing with care including extra care housing.
	We are also working with the Department of Health to support them in the distribution of a capital grant made available since 2004 to encourage local authorities to develop extra care housing. The availability of this grant has been extended for a further two years.

Community Development: Kent

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department made available for regeneration projects and community building initiatives in  (a) Thanet and  (b) Dover District Council areas in each of the last three years.

John Healey: Thanet and Dover districts have received a wide variety of funding for regeneration initiatives since the late 1990s. Some of this is specific to the Communities and Local Government Department, but with the growth of single 'pots' there has also been a merger of different funding streams from different Government Departments. While it is possible to state that Thanet received £2,681,792.00 in neighbourhood element and cleaner, safer, greener funding for regeneration activities in the last two years, other funding streams—such as the European Objective 2 programme, the Coalfield Regeneration Trust, and Single Regeneration Budget—are divided across districts and wider areas. Thanet is also eligible for around £4 million from the new working neighbourhoods fund, over the next three years.

Council Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of the collection of council tax in 2008-09.

John Healey: No estimates of the cost of collection of council tax are made in the calculation of revenue support grant. Information about the cost to local authorities of collecting council tax is not available separately until authorities report their outturn revenue expenditure.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each of the last 10 years; and what the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years.

Parmjit Dhanda: For information on the annual aggregate level of bonus payments to all staff, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 541W.
	With regard to bonuses for press and communications officers, it is not possible to disaggregate this information in the manner requested. A number of Machinery of Government changes and recent internal reorganisation has had a material effect on availability of relevant data and there is a further risk that disclosure of payments to a small group of staff could lead to the identification of individuals.
	In Communities and Local Government, bonuses are paid to staff below the senior civil service who exceed against their business related objectives for the year. For senior civil servants, bonus payments are made to individuals whose contribution has a significant impact on the Department's performance across the year. Personal contribution is assessed against a range of individual and organisational objectives.

Empty Property

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average long-term rate of vacant dwellings was in each region in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: The long-term vacancy rate for each region in England is tabulated as follows. The rates are for those long-term vacant dwellings that have been empty for more than six months. Figures are measured at a snapshot date of 9 October 2006.
	
		
			  Long term empty (greater than six months) as a proportion  of total stock 
			   Percentage 
			 North East 1.9 
			 North West 2.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 1.6 
			 East Midlands 1.5 
			 West Midlands 1.6 
			 East 1.0 
			 London 1.2 
			 South East 1.0 
			 South West 1.1 
			 England 1.4 
			  Source: Council Tax Base (CTB1) returns

Floods

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 898W, on floods, if she will place in the Library a copy of the latest regional flood risk appraisal for each government office region.

Iain Wright: Regional flood risk appraisals are prepared by regional planning bodies. It is more appropriate that copies of them are available for inspection at their offices, closer to where those most interested live, rather than being placed in the Library. Regional flood risk appraisals should be available on each Government office website.

Government Offices for the Regions: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative costs of the Government offices for the regions were in England in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The administrative costs of each Government office for the two years in question are as follows:
	
		
			Amount (£000) 
			  Government office  1996-1997  2006-2007 
			 North East 8,687.15 12,730.25 
			 NorthWest(1) 14,189.04 16,933.67 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 8,765.04 10,676.64 
			 West Midlands 10,040.37 14,925.87 
			 East Midlands 6,616.67 11,490.17 
			 East 6,168.97 12,211.64 
			 South East 8,406.18 13,677.13 
			 South West 7,140.74 14,570.49 
			 London 14,106.47 17,595.20 
			 Total 84,120.63 124,811.78 
			 (1) North-west and Merseyside were separate regions until 1998, though the combined figures are shown under north-west for 1996-97.

Housing

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average projected lifespan is of a new domestic dwelling in England; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: We do not make any assumptions for the purpose of policy-making on the average projected lifespan of a new domestic dwelling in England.
	Predicting the lifespan of a new building is not an exact science and many factors need to be considered. The actual lifespan of a new domestic dwelling will be influenced by customer specifications, its location, the conditions of use and maintenance levels.

Housing Starts

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets her Department has set for the number of  (a) privately developed,  (b) social rented and  (c) other affordable homes to be built in each region of England in each of the next 10 years; what her latest estimate is of the number likely to be built in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Housing Green Paper published in July 2007 detailed our proposals to tackle housing affordability and set a target to increase housing supply to 240,000 additional homes a year by 2016, delivering approximately 2 million new homes by 2016 and 3 million new homes by 2020. The detail of where additional housing will be located is a matter for regional and local planning processes and functions.
	We also announced an increase of new affordable housing to at least 70,000 per annum by 2010-11. Of these 45,000 homes will be for social rent, with a goal to go further to 50,000 new homes for social rent in the next spending review period. We will also be providing 25,000 homes for low cost home ownership each year. The majority of these new homes will be provided with funding from the Housing Corporation and the Homes and Communities Agency once it is established. We are considering their draft programme for 2008-11 and allocations will be announced shortly. The number of new affordable homes to be provided from 2011-12 will be the subject of further spending reviews.

Housing: South West Region

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2330W, on Housing: South West region, what estimate she has made of the increase in dwellings in each local authority area under the Independent Panel's proposals, expressed as a percentage of the current housing stock in that area. [ [Official Report, 26 February 2008, Vol. 472, c. 13MC.]

Iain Wright: holding answer 31 January 2008
	 The following table sets out the information requested.
	
		
			   Total  d wellings as at 2006  Overall net increase in dwellings (number) for period 2006-26 recommended by the Independent Panel in their report on the draft Regional Spatial Strategy  Percentage increase in dwellings for period 2006-26 recommended by the Independent Panel in their report on the draft Regional Spatial Strategy 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA 73,205 18,800 26 
			 Bournemouth UA 80,973 16,100 20 
			 Bristol, City of UA 176,987 30,000 17 
			 Caradon 39,316 6,500 17 
			 Carrick 42,403 10,900 26 
			 Cheltenham 50,798 8,100 16 
			 Christchurch 22,520 3,450 15 
			 Cotswold 38,108 6,900 18 
			 Dartmoor National Park(1)  1,000  
			 East Devon 61,684 17,100 28 
			 East Dorset 38,313 6,400 17 
			 Exeter 48,296 12,000 25 
			 Exmoor National Park(1)  400  
			 Forest of Dean 34,786 6,200 18 
			 Gloucester 49,445 11,500 23 
			 Isles of Scilly(1) 1,193 100 8 
			 Kennet 33,558 6,000 18 
			 Kerrier 42,621 14,400 34 
			 Mendip 46,086 8,300 18 
			 Mid Devon(3) 32,047 7,400 23 
			 North Cornwall 40,076 13,400 33 
			 North Devon(2) 41,949 10,900 26 
			 North Dorset 29,011 7,000 24 
			 North Somerset UA 85,581 26,750 31 
			 North Wiltshire 55,071 13,700 25 
			 Penwith 32,148 7,800 24 
			 Plymouth UA 111,317 24,500 22 
			 Poole UA 64,032 10,000 16 
			 Purbeck 21,122 5,150 24 
			 Restormel 44,513 15,700 35 
			 Salisbury 49,429 12,400 25 
			 Sedgemoor 47,378 10,200 22 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 105,035 30,800 29 
			 South Hams(3) 41,274 11,800 29 
			 South Somerset 69,660 19,700 28 
			 Stroud 47,711 9,100 19 
			 Swindon UA 82,530 34,200 41 
			 Taunton Deane 46,859 21,800 47 
			 Teignbridge(3) 55,673 10,400 19 
			 Tewkesbury 34,090 14,600 43 
			 Torbay UA 62,211 20,000 32 
			 Torridge 28,362 10,700 38 
			 West Devon(3) 22,561 4,400 20 
			 West Dorset 46,787 12,500 27 
			 West Somerset(2) 17,013 2,500 15 
			 West Wiltshire 54,100 12,300 23 
			 Weymouth and Portland 29,714 5,600 19 
			 Total 1,604,943 569,450 35 
			 (1 )Estimated strictly local needs provision only. (2 )Housing stock data includes part in Exmoor National Park. (3 )Housing stock data includes part in Dartmoor National Park.

Local Government Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 13 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 898-99W, on local government finance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the demographic change modelling which informed the settlement.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The requested information has been placed in the Library.

Political Activities: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she  (a) has given and  (b) plans to give to local authorities on the provision without charge of local authority facilities for political campaigning.

John Healey: Guidance with regard to the content, style, distribution and cost of local authority publicity is contained in the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity, issued by my Department under Section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986. In particular, the Code stresses that local authorities should not use public funds to mount publicity campaigns to persuade the public to hold a particular view.
	Following consultation by my Department last year and the report of the independent Councillors Commission, we intend to consider further the future of the Code with local government stakeholders this year.

Social Services: Finance

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of each local authority in England's spending on adult social care  (a) in absolute terms and  (b) as a proportion of total expenditure in each of the last three years; and what proportion of such expenditure was funded by central Government.

John Healey: The information about spending on adult social services, in absolute terms and as a proportion of local authority revenue expenditure, in each of the last three years, for England was published for England has been published in Statistical Releases and editions of Local Government Financial Statistics and I have placed a table showing this information for individual local authorities in the Library of the House.
	The proportion of expenditure on adult social services funded by central Government is not available.

JUSTICE

Approved Premises: Ribble Valley

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bail hostels there are in  (a) Ribble Valley constituency,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England; and what their total capacity is.

David Hanson: I understand this question to refer to the Bail Accommodation and Support Service. These are not bail hostels. The service provides accommodation in flats and houses with up to five people sharing, and support to users. A list of towns or areas where accommodation is currently provided or is being sought was included in my written answer of 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1655W. There is no accommodation used by BASS in Ribble Valley and there are no plans to acquire any. Five BASS properties are currently located in Lancashire providing 18 of the 20 bed spaces sought. At present we aim to provide 705 bed spaces in around 150 properties across England and Wales, mostly placing people in the community from which they originate.
	If the hon. Member is referring to approved premises, there are none in Ribble Valley, three in Lancashire (60 bed spaces) and 105 across England (2,162 bed spaces).

Circumcisions: Females

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were successfully prosecuted for carrying out female circumcision in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: In the last five years for which data is available (2002-06) no persons have been proceeded against at magistrates' courts in England and Wales for offences under the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985 or the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 (which repealed and replaced the 1985 Act with effect from 3 March 2004).

Departmental Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department have given rise to responses that have been published by his Department.

Jack Straw: My Department adopts a selective disclosure log whereby only information of wider public interest is routinely published. Between January 2005 and September 2007 my Department received around 2,300 freedom of information requests, 89 per cent. of which were answered in time and 2.2 per cent. were published on our disclosure log. This figure includes responses to requests received by the National Offender Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform since the Ministry of Justice was established in May 2007. It is of course open to the person making the FOI request to make the information received more widely available. I am ready to make arrangements for the hon. Gentleman to view other information released if he so wishes.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list the special advisers employed in his Department and its predecessor since 6 May 1997; and what the  (a) start and  (b) end date of employment was in each case.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and numbers of special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 147-150WS.
	Information on the employment of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Travel

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department and its predecessors spent on travel  (a) within and  (b) outside the UK for officials in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of his Department's overall expenditure was spent on such travel in each such year;
	(2)  how many overseas visits by officials in his Department took place in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and how much was spent on such visits in each such year.

Maria Eagle: The spend on travel within and outside the UK for officials in each of the last 10 years is not separately identifiable in the Department's accounts. The Department's annual accounts group travel, subsistence, and hospitality in one line, and where it may be possible to separate the travel and subsistence element, to distinguish the travel element from this figure may be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	Costs of overseas travel for officials incurred by the Department in the last 10 years are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The data on how many overseas visits, to which countries, and the related costs are not required to be centrally held. These costs are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has published rules for official travel in its staff handbook, and all travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	The Government's annual publication about overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers is accessible at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers.aspx
	The list includes details about the number of officials accompanying the Minister when non-scheduled travel is used for the trip. Copies of lists covering information going back to the 1997-98 financial year are available in the Libraries of the House.

Divorce

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to encourage the use of mediation in divorce proceedings not covered by legal aid; and if he will oblige solicitors to offer mediation to respondents entitled to legal aid in such proceedings where the applicant is a private client not so entitled.

Bridget Prentice: The Government believe that mediation can offer considerable advantages over going to court in the settling of family disputes, especially where children are involved, irrespective of how cases are funded.
	To encourage the use of mediation, we have established the Family Mediation Helpline and its supporting website. The Helpline telephone number is 0845 60 26 627 and the website address is
	www.FamilyMediationHelpline.co.uk.
	We have also sponsored a public awareness campaign and facilitated judicial awareness seminars.
	The Government will make changes to court rules and application forms to facilitate referrals to family mediation where the court considers this would be beneficial.
	The Children and Adoption Act 2006 when fully implemented will enable the court to direct parties to attend a meeting to learn about mediation in cases where it considers this is appropriate.
	In proceedings where one of the clients is in receipt of legal aid, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) pays for an assessment meeting for both the funded client and the privately paying client to enable them to find out about the potential benefits of mediation without incurring costs. If mediation is considered appropriate, the LSC will continue to fund the legally aided client but the privately paying client will pay private rates set by the mediation service. Some services charge on a sliding scale, depending on the client's means.
	Mediation by its very nature is a voluntary process and not suitable in all cases, for example where domestic violence is an issue. In both family and civil mediation, parties have to want the process to work in order to reach any agreement.
	The Government want to ensure that everyone involved in family disputes knows about the process of, and the possible advantages of, mediation.

Driving Under Influence: Prosecutions

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were prosecuted for drink driving over the Christmas period in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data on prosecutions held by my Department do not include the date of offence nor the circumstances behind each one.

Firearms Act 1968: Convictions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2105W, on the Firearms Act 1968: convictions, what proportion of those found guilty were over the age of 18.

Maria Eagle: Of the 1,077 convictions for offences under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 in England and Wales in 2006, 92 per cent. (991 defendants) were aged over 18.
	A detailed breakdown of prosecutions and convictions by police force area and age group are provided in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under Section 5 of the 1968 Firearms Act, broken down by police force area and age group, England and Wales, 2006 ( 1,2,3) 
			   10 to 17  18 and over  All  a ges 
			  Police force area  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 2 2 22 19 24 21 
			 Bedfordshire   6 4 6 4 
			 Cambridgeshire   11 8 11 8 
			 Cheshire   20 16 20 16 
			 City of London   6 1 6 1 
			 Cleveland   8 8 8 8 
			 Cumbria   7 3 7 3 
			 Derbyshire   11 13 11 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall   12 11 12 11 
			 Dorset   8 8 8 8 
			 Durham   7 6 7 6 
			 Essex 3 3 31 23 34 26 
			 Gloucestershire   4 5 4 5 
			 Greater Manchester 5 4 103 90 108 94 
			 Hampshire 1 1 26 23 27 24 
			 Hertfordshire 2 2 22 21 24 23 
			 Humberside   13 11 13 11 
			 Kent  1 27 27 27 28 
			 Lancashire   24 18 24 18 
			 Leicestershire 1 1 17 15 18 16 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 7 5 8 6 
			 Merseyside 3 2 51 54 54 56 
			 Metropolitan Police 61 43 324 274 385 317 
			 Norfolk   12 9 12 9 
			 North Yorkshire   6 5 6 5 
			 Northamptonshire   2 2 2 2 
			 Northumbria 4 4 39 30 43 34 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 1 27 29 28 30 
			 South Yorkshire 4 4 36 31 40 35 
			 Staffordshire   10 9 10 9 
			 Suffolk   8 8 8 8 
			 Surrey   7 7 7 7 
			 Sussex 1 1 19 14 20 15 
			 Thames Valley 1 1 26 19 27 20 
			 Warwickshire   8 6 8 6 
			 West Mercia   13 11 13 11 
			 West Midlands 8 9 76 69 84 78 
			 West Yorkshire 4 4 41 43 45 47 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 13 6 14 7 
			 Dyfed-Powys   2 1 2 1 
			 Gwent 2 1 9 6 11 7 
			 North Wales 1  15 8 16 8 
			 South Wales   16 15 16 15 
			 England and Wales 106 86 1,152 991 1,258 1,077 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The found guilty column may exceed these proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in following year, or the defendants was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.

Langley House Trust

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons resident at a Langley House Trust hostel and the subject of supervision in the community under court order or parole, have absconded and been convicted of a further offence, broken down by offence.

Maria Eagle: Of the six Langley House Trust residents who absconded during 2007-08, none has been convicted of a further offence.

Limitation Periods

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what account he plans to take of the recent court ruling on limitation periods in drawing up his own proposals for making statutory changes to limitation periods;
	(2)  when he plans to bring forward legislation on changes to limitation periods.

Bridget Prentice: The Government will take full account of the recent ruling by the House of Lords regarding limitation periods. The Government are preparing a consultation paper which will seek views on a draft Bill to implement the Law Commission's recommendations to reform the law in this area. The consultation paper will also consider specific issues arising out of the House of Lords decision namely the exercise of the court's discretion to extend the limitation period and the way in which the claimant's 'date of knowledge' is defined in abuse cases.
	The Government intend to consult fully before changing the law of limitation. Depending on the results of the consultation, the Government will then seek to introduce legislation when parliamentary time allows. A date for the publication of the consultation paper has not yet been set.

Magistrates: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates on the Warrington bench come from  (a) Warrington, North constituency,  (b) Warrington South constituency,  (c) outside the borough and  (d) from one of the 20 per cent. of the most deprived wards in the borough as measured by the standard index of deprivation.

Jack Straw: There are 91 magistrates in the Warrington local justice area. 31 magistrates live in  (a) Warrington, North constituency; 40 magistrates live in  (b) Warrington, South constituency; nine magistrates come from  (c) outside the borough; and  (d) it is not known how many come from the most deprived wards. 11 magistrates' postcodes are unknown. Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace follow The Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor's directions when making recommendations for appointment to the magistracy. This provides guidance that each local justice area should broadly reflect the community it serves including geographical spread.

National Offender Management Service

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria the National Offender Management Service will use in selecting  (a) secular and  (b) faith-based voluntary sector organisations as partners in programmes to reduce re-offending; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: We are committed to maximising the contribution made by the third sector including both secular and faith-based organisations in reducing re-offending and protecting the public.
	We are currently consulting on a Third Sector Action Plan and a faith consultation paper, Believing We Can, to explore how to strengthen both engagement with the third sector and its role in service delivery. This is in line with creating competitive neutrality for providers and potential providers. We recognise that some types of organisations face specific barriers to competing and delivering public services.
	The criteria for contesting and selecting any services provided by third sector organisations and all providers will be the same in accordance with our commitment to achieve best value out of available resources and drive better service delivery within a framework of equality and best practice. Also work is taking place in NOMS on developing standards on commissioning faith based interventions.

National Security Strategy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role his Department has played in drafting the National Security Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: My Department is working closely with the Cabinet Office and other interested Departments and agencies to produce the National Security Strategy.

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have received  (a) the maximum sentence,  (b) a custodial sentence and  (c) a community sentence for possession of a knife in a public place in each of the last two years.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	Figures for 2007 will be available from autumn 2008.
	The Violent Crime Reduction Bill (2006) doubled the maximum sentence for possession of knife in a public place from two to four years.
	
		
			  Persons( 1)  sentenced for possession of a knife in a public place, England and Wales, 2005-06 
			  Defendants 
			  Offence  Statute  Year  Total persons sentenced  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence( 2)  Community sentence 
			 Having an article with a blade or point in a public place Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 3 2005 5,957 965 1 2,797 
			   2006 6,284 1,070 2 2,970 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons(3) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse Prevention of Crime Act 1953 sec 1 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 2(1) 2005 5,689 829 2 3,031 
			   2006 5,630 788 1 2,938 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Two years for blade or point offences and four years for offensive weapon offences. (At the Crown court.) (3) Will include knives, but information collected centrally does not provide a distinction between them and other offensive weapons.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Prisoners Release: Electronic Tagging

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to use satellite tracking for prisoner release with (a) electronic tags and (b) radio frequency identification tags; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to use radio frequency identification tag implants under the electronic tagging scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Prior to the creation of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in May 2007 the Home Office ran satellite tracking pilots from September 2004 until June 2006, during which time 517 offenders were subject to tracking. Most of these were prisoners released on licence at the end of their sentence who were deemed at high risk of re-offending or high risk of harm, including sex and violent offenders.
	Tracking was based on global positioning system (GPS) technology, and subjects were required to wear a tracking unit, normally worn around the waist, and a radio frequency electronic ankle tag. The pilots were subject to an independent evaluation and the final report was published online on 2 August 2007. A copy was placed in the House of Commons Library. It is not proposed to undertake any further work on satellite tracking in the short to medium term.
	There are no plans being considered for the use of radio frequency implants within the criminal justice system. There is no evidence that the technology would work successfully and there are fundamental issues about requiring offenders to submit to a medical procedure for the purpose of implanting a microchip.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government plans to take to address prison overcrowding in each of the next three years.

Jack Straw: On 5 December the Government announced their response to Lord Carter of Coles' report on prisons, including measures to both increase the supply of prison places and reduce the demand for them.
	The Government are committed to providing an additional 10,500 prison places on top of its existing 9,500 capacity programme. Our aim is to achieve an overall capacity of 96,000 places by 2014. The building programme will include up to three Titan prisons of about 2,500 places each.
	In 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively, approximately 2,500, 1,600 and 3,900 additional places are planned to be delivered.
	We have tabled amendments to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill to give effect to measures recommended by Lord Carter to reduce the demand for custody. These measures should start to have an impact in the second half of this year.
	The measures we are taking will ease the pressure on the prison estate. No prison is expected to operate at a level of crowding beyond that which the Prison Service area manager (or Regional Offender Manager in the case of a contracted prison) considers safe.

Prostitution: Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for offences relating to prostitution in Leicester in the last four years.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to prostitution for the years 2003 to 2006 in Leicestershire police force area can be viewed in the following table.
	The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	It is not possible to separately identify the number of defendants prosecuted for offences relating to prostitution in Leicester from all those proceeded against in the Leicestershire police force area for offences relating to prostitution.
	
		
			  N umber of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to prostitution in Leicestershire police force area for the years 2003 to 2006( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3,)( )( 4,)( )( 5) 
			   Prosecutions 
			 2003 12 
			 2004 5 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 16 
			 Total 34 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes: Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.46, Late Night Refreshment Houses Act 1969 S.9(l), Street Offences Act 1959 S.l(l),  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.l(l)(a), l(l)(b), 2(1), 33, 33A, 34, 35(1), 36, 48(l)(a), 49(b)(ii) and (2), 50(la), (b)(i) and (2), 52, 83, 57, 58, and 59. Town Police Clauses Act 1847 S.35 Vagrancy Act 1824 S.3 and 4 Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 2, 3, 4, 9, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 (4) It is not possible to separately identify offences under Sections 22 and 23 from 2, 3, and 4 of the Sexual Offences Act 1957 as they are grouped together. Likewise, it is not possible to separately identify offences under Sections 22 and 23 from 9 of the Sexual Offences Act 1957 as they are grouped together. (5) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004.  Source:  Court proceedings database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice

Reoffenders

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of the prison population were being detained as a result of probation recall in  (a) May and  (b) November in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The number and proportion of the prison population being detained as a result of recall in  (a) May and  (b) November is shown in the following table every year since 2003 (the earliest date for which this information is available).
	
		
			   Recalled population  As a percentage of the total prison population 
			 May 2003 2,489 3 
			 May 2004 3,174 4 
			 May 2005 3,378 4 
			 May 2006 4,018 5 
			 May 2007 5,104 6 
			
			 November 2003 2,916 4 
			 November 2004 3,309 4 
			 November 2005 3,808 5 
			 November 2006 4,724 6 
			 November 2007 5,407 7 
		
	
	The number of prisoner recalled to custody has increased over recent years. There are several reasons for this increase: nearly all prisoners on licence can now be recalled to prison executively by the Secretary of State. Prior to 1998, prisoners serving less than four years could be recalled only by the courts, a slow and bureaucratic process that was rarely used. The Probation Service has become far more effective in enforcing licence conditions. In 1997 appropriate enforcement action was taken in only a third of cases where the offender breached a sentence being served in the community. This figure was over 90 per cent. in 2007; and there is more robust supervision of high risk licensees and better information sharing between police and probation, through multi agency public protection arrangements.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sentencing: Firearms

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those sentenced since 1 April 2004 to custodial sentences of less than five years for the offence of possession of a firearm were  (a) white and  (b) of (i) African, (ii) Caribbean, (iii) South Asian and (iv) other heritage.

David Hanson: It is not possible to separately identify ethnic records from sentencing statistics on the Courts Proceedings Database.

Supervised Contact Centres

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which constituencies in England and Wales have supervised contact centres within  (a) five miles and  (b) 10 miles of the constituency boundary.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not collected centrally.

Young Offender Institutions: Criminal Damage

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the cost was of repairing criminal damage in young offender institutions in each county in England and Wales in each of the last five calendar years;
	(2)  how many incidents of criminal damage were recorded in young offender institutions in each county in England and Wales in each of the last five calendar years;
	(3)  what steps are being taken to reduce the incidence of criminal damage in young offender institutions.

David Hanson: The cost of repair of criminal damage is incorporated in the Prison Service maintenance budget. The Prison Service spends on average 40 million year on maintenance. Figures for the cost of criminal damage are not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of incidents of damage recorded in young offender institutions in each county in England and Wales in the last five years is shown in the following table. It is not possible to distinguish between incidents which are defined as criminal damage and incidents involving minor damage, without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Incidents of damage recorded in England and Wales 2003-07 
			   Calendar year 
			  County  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Berkshire  3 6 9 7 
			 Bristol 183 103 88 30 13 
			 Buckinghamshire 2 2 1 6 2 
			 Cheshire1 3 
			 County Durham 2 32 37 48 29 
			 Dorset 5 22 18 25 43 
			 Kent 5 5 3 1 6 
			 Lancashire 36 77 124 170 121 
			 Leicestershire 24 14 18 17 37 
			 Middlesex 72 141 130 124 92 
			 North Yorkshire 18 12 7 1 5 
			 Northumberland 129 67 59 115 89 
			 Oxfordshire 2 
			 Shropshire 21 20 72 92 99 
			 Staffordshire 42 8 25 11 19 
			 Suffolk 1 7 38 33 109 
			 West Yorkshire 46 107 63 115 52 
			 Wolverhampton 50 108 92 52 47 
			 Total 636 728 781 850 775 
		
	
	Criminal damage as legally defined can be the result of many things, including acts of violence and self-harm. The Prison Service has a number of strategies to reduce such incidences. The Violence Reduction Strategy is one such policy and is aimed at addressing all types of violent and disruptive behaviour. For those young offender institutions within the under-18 estate, the Prison Service is working with the Youth Justice Board on a behaviour management programme to support staff in developing a more effective approach to tackling all forms of challenging behaviour, not least violence to other people and damage to property.

Young Offenders: Mentally Ill

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of young offenders and juveniles with mental health disorders re-offended within  (a) one,  (b) two and  (c) three years of their release in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The information requested is not collected centrally. The latest information about re-offending by young people is contained in the 2005 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey and was published in a Home Office Statistical Bulletin (Young People and Crime) in December 2006.

TREASURY

Credit Unions

Tom Levitt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals to allow local community organisations to invest in credit unions serving their communities;
	(2)  what plans he has to enable more people to access the services of credit unions.

Angela Eagle: As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation on the Review of cooperative and credit union legislation, the Government see some merit in both allowing credit unions to be able to admit corporate or unincorporated local community organisations into their membership in certain circumstances and allowing credit unions to have some flexibility in determining their membership criteria to allow more people to access their services. The Government are currently considering the issue in more detail and will make further announcement in due course.

National Security

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role his Department has played in drafting the National Security Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Her Majesty's Treasury is working closely with the Cabinet Office and other interested Departments and agencies to produce the National Security Strategy.

Northern Rock

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the letter from his Department to the Bank of England setting out the terms and requirements of lending to Northern Rock.

Angela Eagle: The establishment of lending facilities for Northern Rock at the Bank of England in September and October 2007 were authorised by the Chancellor in accordance with the tripartite memorandum of understanding. The Chancellor wrote to the chairs of the Public Accounts Committee and the Treasury Select Committee on 21 September and 11 October 2007 outlining the terms of the Bank of England's facilities. Copies of the letters are available in the House Library. The detailed terms and requirements remain confidential.

Northern Rock

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the term sheet for the planned guarantees of bonds for Northern Rock; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 30 January 2008
	 It would not be appropriate to make the term sheet public at this stage of negotiations.

Northern Rock

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Statement of 21 January 2008 on Northern Rock, whether the Government plans to require restrictions on  (a) salary,  (b) bonus payments and  (c) other remuneration for (i) directors and (ii) senior executives of Northern Rock whilst the backstop guarantee remains in place.

Angela Eagle: The tripartite authorities are taking forward discussions with the board of Northern Rock, and with other interested parties, on the potential for a private sector solution for the entire company. As set out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 21 January, any proposals would be based on an agreed business plan and need to contain appropriate protections that recognise the interests of HM Treasury as a provider of financial support to Northern Rock for so long as HM Treasury's guarantee arrangements remain in place.

Pay: Police

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the overall rate of inflation of a net pay increase to the police force of  (a) 2.5 per cent. and  (b) 1.9 per cent.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 4 February 2008
	 The Government are committed to continuing to support public sector workers in their efforts to deliver the best possible public services. Over the last 10 years, the Government have therefore sought to increase the number of frontline workers as well as their pay. In particular, the period January 2000 to January 2006 saw an increase of 29.4 per cent. in public sector average earnings, which compares to 23.8 per cent. in the private sector over the same period.
	The Government's objectives for public sector pay settlements are that they should be consistent with maintaining the necessary levels of recruitment, retention and staff engagement needed to support service delivery; ensuring that total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within Departments' overall expenditure plans; and consistent with the Government's achievement of the inflation target of 2 per cent..
	Wage pressures are one of the factors considered by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England when setting interest rates to meet the inflation target.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the trend in prostate cancer  (a) one-year,  (b) two-year and  (c) five-year survival rates over the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 6 February 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the trend in prostate cancer (a) one-year, (b) two-year and (c) five-year survival rates over the last 20 years; and if a statement will be made.
	The latest available survival rates are for patients diagnosed in 1999-2003 and followed up to the end of 2004. One-year and (c) five-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in England in 1998-2003 are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Froduct.asp?vlnk=14007Pos=lColRank=lRank=192
	Five-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in England and Wales in 1991-1999 are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7091
	One-year and five-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in England in 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985 and 1986-1990 can be found in Coleman MP et al (1999) 'Cancer survival trends in England and Wales, 1971-1995: deprivation and NHS Region', London: The Stationery Office. One-year and five-year survival rates from this volume are available on the National Statistics website, for England and Wales at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Productasp?vlnk=2990
	Two-year survival rates are not available.

Revenue and Customs: Higher Civil Servants

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in travel expenses to the 450 senior managers who attended the three meetings in 2006, held as part of HM Revenue and Customs Leading the Way initiative to discuss the formation of the HM Revenue and Customs Ambition.

Angela Eagle: Travel expenses were claimed by the individual attendees from their own business unit budgets. No cumulative record is kept of the costs relating to these events.
	This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Higher Civil Servants

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what costs were incurred by HM Revenue and Customs in hosting the three meetings held in 2006 as part of the Leading the Way initiative to discuss the formulation of the HM Revenue and Customs Ambition.

Angela Eagle: The Leading the Way events were held in April, October and November 2006. They brought together 450 senior members of HMRC staff to set the direction of the new department and to embed an understanding of customer needs.
	The scale of the challenge necessitated bringing this senior leadership community together through large-scale events reflecting the UK-wide nature of HMRC's role.
	The total cost of these events was 1,342,647.20.

Tax Incentives: Vehicles

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on tax incentives for manufacturers of flexible-fuel vehicles.

Angela Eagle: Flexible fuel cars registered since 2001 are eligible for the alternative fuel car discount rate in vehicle excise duty.
	No representations have been received on the specific matter of tax incentives for manufacturers of flexible-fuel vehicles capable of running on both petrol and high blend bioethanol.
	The Treasury routinely receives a range of stakeholder views in the approach to the Budget and the Chancellor considers all relevant economic, environmental and social factors when deciding taxation policy.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Business: Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many individual burdens in business compliance requirements have been  (a) removed and  (b) amended in each year since the introduction of the Better Regulation Agenda.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 1 February 2008
	Government Departments published simplification plans in December 2007. These plans show more than 700 measures to reduce administrative burdens for the private and third sectors, policy costs and burdens on the public sector between May 2005 and 2010. Over 280 of these measures have been implemented to date.
	Further details can be found at:
	http://bre.berr.gov/uk/regulation/reform/simplifying/plans.asp

Certification Officer: Trade Unions

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many members of the Certification Officer's staff are members of a trades union.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 24 January 2008
	It is a matter for individuals if they wish to join a trade union or not and they are under no obligation to disclose whether or not they are members of trade unions.

Credit Unions

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department has taken to encourage people to save with credit unions.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation on the 'Review of cooperative and credit union legislation', the Government sees some merit in both allowing credit unions to be able to admit corporate or unincorporated local community organisations into their membership in certain circumstances and allowing credit unions to have some flexibility in determining their membership criteria to allow more people to access their services. The Government are currently considering the issue in more detail and will make further announcement in due course.

Energy: Fees and Charges

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the average annual household bill for  (a) gas and  (b) electricity in (i) St. Ives constituency, (ii) Cornwall and (iii) England in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 February 2008
	The lowest level of aggregation for average annual domestic gas and electricity bills that is available is at gas/electricity region level. It is published quarterly in Quarterly Energy Prices, the latest version of which is accessible online at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/ file43302.pdf. The town/cities specified in tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3 within this publication indicate which region the bills apply too. Plymouth is used to represent the south west, and therefore incorporates Cornwall. Constituency level averages are not available. This publication also holds national level averages for gas and electricity for England and Wales, but not England alone.
	Average bills vary significantly with the type of payment method used; therefore all statistics are broken down between the direct debit, standard credit and pre-payment methods. The following table shows the average annual bill for each payment type in Plymouth in cash terms since 1998 (the earliest available year):
	
		
			   Plymouth (South West) 
			   Gas  Electricity 
			   Standard credit  Direct debit  Prepayment  Standard credit  Direct debit  Prepayment 
			 1998 312 275 330 280 275 292 
			 1999 306 268 318 274 266 286 
			 2000 299 265 312 271 261 283 
			 2001 297 267 309 266 257 277 
			 2002 312 281 327 264 255 275 
			 2003 322 292 335 269 259 269 
			 2004 336 311 351 270 260 273 
			 2005 387 353 398 308 293 315 
			 2006 478 426 494 162 341 370 
			 2007 554 499 585 395 370 397 
		
	
	National average annual bills are shown in following table from 1998 onwards in cash terms:
	
		
			   England and Wales 
			   Gas  Electricity 
			   Standard Credit  Direct Debit  Prepayment  Standard Credit  Direct Debit  Prepayment 
			 1998 315 211 331 266 256 283 
			 1999 304 268 318 260 251 279 
			 2000 295 264 311 253 243 272 
			 2001 293 266 309 246 236 263 
			 2002 310 281 327 244 234 261 
			 2003 320 292 336 245 235 261 
			 2004 333 309 351 251 239 267 
			 2005 386 353 401 281 265 301 
			 2006 475 425 498 335 310 356 
			 2007 553 498 589 381 347 400

EU Law

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of a letter of formal notice issued by the European Commission in March 2007 to the UK Government initiating infringement procedures for incorrectly transposing directive 2007/78/EC into national law.

Patrick McFadden: Disclosure of the information may prejudice the relations between the United Kingdom and the European Commission and may harm the prospects for reaching a resolution with the Commission over infringement proceedings.

Imports: Natural Gas

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from which countries the UK imported natural gas in 2007; and what the percentage of total natural gas imports was made from each.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 February 2008
	Data for the whole of 2007 are not yet available. The following table gives data for the 11 months to November 2007.
	
		
			  From  2007 (TWh)  Percentage share 2007 
			 Belgium(1) 4.7 1.6 
			 Netherlands(2) 64.3 22.6 
			 Norway(3) 203.0 71.2 
			 LNG(4) 13.0 4.6 
			 Total 285.0 100.0 
			 (1) Physical (as opposed to contractual) flows through the Bacton-Zeebrugge Interconnector.  (2) Via the Balgzand-Bacton Line (BBL).  (3) Via the Langeled and Vesterled pipelines, and Tampen Link (from Statfjord to FLAGS).  (4) Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Algeria, Egypt, Qatar and Trinidad and Tobago to the Isle of Grain and Gasport Teesside LNG terminals. 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify the countries of origin of the gas physically received from the Netherlands and Belgium. However, it is believed that the majority of the gas received from the Netherlands is sourced from the Dutch sector of the North Sea and the majority of the gas from Belgium is sourced from Norway via Zeepipe which terminates at Zeebrugge.
	Data for the whole of 2007 are due to be published on BERR's website in Energy Trends monthly table 4.3 on 28 February 2008.

Imports: Oil

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from which countries the UK imported oil in 2007; and what the percentage of total oil imports was made from each.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 February 2008
	Data for the whole of 2007 are not yet available. The following table shows imports into the UK of crude oil by country of origin during the eleven months to November 2007.
	In the 11 months to November 2007 total imports of crude oil into the UK were 46 million tonnes, with Norway accounting for over half (55 per cent.).
	
		
			  Imports of crude oil into the UK by country 
			  Million tonnes 
			   January to November 2007( 1) 
			  Country of origin  Total Crude Oil Imports  Percentage of total crude oil imports 
			 Algeria 2.3 5 
			 Denmark 0.9 2 
			 Libya 0.9 2 
			 Nigeria 0.9 2 
			 Norway 25.4 55 
			 Russia 5.0 11 
			 Venezuela 1.3 3 
			 Other 9.2 20 
			 Total imports 46.0 100 
			 (1) Data are provisional and are subject to change   Source:  Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Industrial Health and Safety: Fuels

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what new  (a) advice and  (b) regulatory arrangements have been implemented by the Health and Safety Executive in respect of (i) liquid natural gas storage and transfer planning applications and (ii) biodiesel production and storage planning applications following the Buncefield explosion and fire; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
	As liquefied natural gas and biodiesel were not stored or involved in the incident at Buncefield, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not made any regulatory arrangements or provided advice as a direct result of the fire and explosion.
	Unrelated to the Buncefield incident HSE has recently issued a warning and guidance to its staff about the domestic production of biodiesel. This is available on the HSE: website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/biodiesel.htm
	Generally, HSE does revise its land use planning advice for sites storing or intending to store dangerous substances on the basis of new science and evidence arising from incidents worldwide.

Natural Gas: Prices

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the likely maximum  (a) percentage and  (b) cash differences in gas prices in each region which will result from regional pricing.

Malcolm Wicks: No estimates have been made by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform regarding the regional price differentials that will arise from the most recent (January 2008) announcements regarding regional pricing. Some companies already employ regional gas prices, one company will commence regional gas prices from January 2008, while others have continued with national pricing polices. The effect of this can be seen in table 2.3.3 of 'Quarterly Energy Prices', the latest version of which is accessible online at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file43302.pdf.
	Developments due to the latest announcements will continue to be monitored.

Post Office

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people living in the Vale of York he estimates will be resident more than three miles away from a post office once the restructuring of the Post Office is completed.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Office: Expenditure

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the total expenditure was by Post Office Ltd. on the post office network, excluding Crown offices, in the last financial year; what the estimated expenditure is for this financial year, broken down by  (a) payments to local providers and  (b) central infrastructure costs of the payments to local providers; how much is expected to be spent on (i) salaries and (ii) commissions; and if he will break down by standard accountancy heading the central infrastructure costs in each financial year.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Office: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library the summaries of responses to the Post Office's Area Plan Proposal for North Yorkshire with Yorkshire East and Keighley given by Post Office Ltd to Postwatch at the Day 92 meeting on the plan.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 30 January 2008
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Closures

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many submissions were received by Post Office Ltd. to its consultation on proposed post office closures in Leicester.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Participation

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the implementation of his Department's guidelines on public consultations.

Patrick McFadden: The code of practice on consultation is embedded in the policymaking processes of the Government. Rates of compliance are high, for example, since the launch of the code of practice between 75 and 80 per cent. of Government consultations have lasted at least 12 weeks as recommended in the code of practice. In response to the Government's recent review of the code, many regular respondents to Government consultations stated that the introduction of a code of practice on consultation had led to an improvement in the quality of Government consultation exercises.

Regional Development Agencies: Managers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many board members of each regional development agency have made a declaration of political activity that involved activity in relation to  (a) the Conservative Party,  (b) the Labour Party and  (c) the Liberal Democrat party.

Patrick McFadden: The breakdown of declared political activity of board members for the eight regions (excluding London, which is the responsibility of the Mayor) is as follows:
	
		
			   Breakdown 
			  Advantage West Midlands:  
			 Labour 2 
			 Conservative 2 
			 Liberal Democrat 1 
			   
			  East of England Development Agency:  
			 Labour 2 
			 Conservative 4 
			 Liberal Democrat 1 
			   
			  East Midlands Development Agency:  
			 Labour 4 
			 Conservative 1 
			 Liberal Democrat 1 
			   
			  ONE Northeast:  
			 Labour 2 
			 Conservative 1 
			 Liberal Democrat 1 
			   
			  North West Development Agency:  
			 Labour 5 
			 Conservative 1 
			 Liberal Democrat 0 
			   
			  South East of England Development Agency:  
			 Labour 3 
			 Conservative 1 
			 Liberal Democrat 1 
			   
			  South West Regional Development Agency:  
			 Labour 2 
			 Conservative 1 
			 Liberal Democrat 2 
			   
			  Yorkshire Forward:  
			 Labour 3 
			 Conservative 2 
			 Liberal Democrat 1

Regional Development Agencies: Planning

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1216W, on Regional Development Agencies: Planning, what powers regional development agencies will have with regard to income from section 106 planning obligations following the implementation of single integrated regional strategies.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	Planning obligations (under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) can be entered into by local planning authorities (LPAs) and those with an interest in the land ('developers'). Regional planning bodies do not currently have any powers to secure planning obligations and we are not proposing to give such powers to regional development agencies (RDAs).
	Developer contributions raised through planning obligations are often passed by LPAs to infrastructure providers. RDAs can also fund infrastructure in certain circumstances, and could do so using monies raised through planning obligations where an LPA had passed the money on to them for that purpose.

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will consider the merits of introducing pre-judging planning decisions for potential renewable energy sites.

Malcolm Wicks: Pre-judging planning decisions for potential renewable energy sites is not part of the proposals set out in the current Planning Bill.
	The Government's Planning White Paper underlined our intentions to work with local planning authorities and the industry to ensure that high quality renewable energy schemes are prepared following engagement with local communities. The new planning policies on climate change published recently by Communities and Local Government underline that planning authorities should not require applicants to demonstrate either the overall need for renewable energy, nor question the energy justification for why a proposal for renewable energy must be sited in a particular location.

Tidal Power: Electricity

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution to the national grid of electricity generated by tidal power over the next  (a) five,  (b) 10 and  (c) 50 years.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 February 2008
	There are various tidal power technologies which divide into two main types: tidal stream and tidal range (barrages and lagoons). The Sustainable Development Commission's report Tidal Power in the UK of October 2007, estimated that tidal power resource has the potential to provide 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity resource.
	According to the SDC report, the top 10 tidal stream sites in the UK have a potential practical resource of 17.5 TWh/year. However, tidal stream technologies are at a very early stage of development and only a few commercial prototypes are in existence. Ernst and Young, in their study for the Renewables Obligation Consultation, www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39038.pdf suggested the maximum likely potential as 0.5 TWh in 2015 and 1.4 TWh in 2020.
	For tidal range, the SDC's report estimates the total practical resource as around 18.8 TWh/year, of which the Severn estuary accounts for 17 TWh/year and the Mersey 1.4 TWh/year, though estimates of total theoretical resource vary from 50-94 TWh/year. There are currently no tidal range technologies deployed in the UK, even for testing, though there are a few tidal barrages operating around the world (e.g. La Rance in Northern France) and similar technology has been used for hydroelectric dams.
	More detail on the variation throughout the UK of tidal range and tidal flow can be found in the Atlas of UK Marine Renewable Energy Resources which can be found at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained/wind/page27741.html
	On 22 January, the Government launched a two-year Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study to assess the options for tidal power in the estuary. For more details see:
	www.berr.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained/wave-tidal//tidal//severntidalpower/page41473.html

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Media Advisers

David Tredinnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many communications, press and marketing staff were employed in the civil service in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2006-07.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous).

Civil Service Diversity

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to increase diversity in the civil service.

Tom Watson: The 10-Point-Plan on Delivering a Diverse Civil Service outlines how we plan to increase the diversity of the civil service at all levels. Copies of this plan have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Social Exclusion

Howard Stoate: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the public service agreement for social exclusion.

Phil Hope: The Public Service Agreement for socially excluded adults sets out the Government's aspiration that everyone should have the chance to have a home and a job.
	This PSA gives a new priority to ensuring that care leavers, adults offenders, adults with mental health problems and adults with learning difficulties can participate fully in society and lead productive and stable lives. The effectiveness of the PSA will be monitored through annual public reporting by both central and local government.

Social Exclusion

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to address social exclusion of adults with autism.

Phil Hope: The delivery plan for the socially excluded adults public service agreement highlights the importance for learning disability and social care services to consider the needs of those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This builds on existing Government policy for this group, as set out most recently by the Department of Health in the publication Better services for people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. We will also learn lessons from the MCCH Autism pilot project, which has a special focus on improving access to services for adults with Autism and Asperger's syndrome.

Family Intervention

Chris Mole: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the contribution of family intervention projects to social inclusion.

Phil Hope: Family intervention projects, such as the one in the hon. Member's own constituency, are one of a number of effective interventions that work with socially excluded families. Evaluations of similar intensive family approaches are positive and demonstrate sustained positive change for seven out of 10 familieswith improvements in physical and mental health, greater housing stability, reduction in the likelihood of family breakdown, safer communities, and improved educational attainment.

Family Intervention

Eric Illsley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the Family-Nurse Partnership's programme's contribution to social inclusion.

Phil Hope: The Family Nurse Partnership is based on a US programme that has shown impressive impacts on a range of outcomes that contribute to social inclusion. These include safer home environments and improved maternal healthand, in the long-term, lower offending rates for children and increased workforce participation for parents.
	FNP offers structured and intensive home visiting to disadvantaged first time mothers from early pregnancy until the child is two. Barnsley is one of the pioneering pilot sites. 30 million of additional funding has been announced to expand the programme to 90 sites by March 2010 and to undertake a rigorous evaluation of impacts.

Third Sector

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the role of third sector organisations in campaigning for social change; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Third sector organisations play an essential role in campaigning for change in laws and attitudes. Whether it is large charities that have campaigned for change around issues from disability to child protection or small charities that wish to speak out on local issues, their work plays an important role in speaking up for those who would otherwise not have their voice properly heard.

Data Protection

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Cabinet Office in providing information assurance across government.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire (Mr. Vara).

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what reason the number of communication and press staff listed in the Central Office of Information's White Book differs from those given in the Answer of 12 September 2007,  Official Report, column 2056W, on departmental manpower.

Edward Miliband: The names of nine press officers were submitted to be included in the White Book in early August 2007.
	Following publication in September 2007 there were staff moves leaving vacancies which meant that on the 12 September 2007 there were six press officers working in the Cabinet Office press office.

Departmental Responsibilities: Disadvantaged

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Ministers have been responsible for social exclusion policy since 1997, broken down by Department.

Phil Hope: holding answer 5 February 2008
	The Cabinet Office publication List of Ministerial Responsibilities sets out ministerial responsibilities by Departments. Copies of the current List of Ministerial Responsibilities and previous editions are available for reference in the Libraries of the House.

Disadvantaged: Elderly

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what work the Social Exclusion Taskforce has carried out into tackling social exclusion among older people; and what further work it has planned on this issue.

Phil Hope: holding answer 5 February 2008
	The Social Exclusion Task Force (SETF) is currently funding a research project to analyse social exclusion amongst all age groups, including looking at the factors influencing social exclusion among older people. The remainder of the SETF's forward work programme is focused on families and working age adults.
	The former Social Exclusion Unit published a report entitled A Sure Start to Later Life: Ending Inequalities for Older People in January 2006. This set out 30 cross-government actions to tackle social exclusion among older people. Additionally, DWP's Later Life PSA sets targets to tackle poverty and promote greater independence and well-being among older people.

Respect Task Force

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what date the Respect Unit was closed; for what reasons it was closed; and whether its staff are being made redundant.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Respect Taskforce has not closed.
	Following the Machinery of Government changes announced last year the Respect Taskforce was transferred to the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
	The Respect Task Force was set up in September 2005 to oversee the delivery of the Respect Programme. Most of the commitments in the Government's Respect Action Plan have been met or are in train and have been mainstreamed into programmes across Government and in local service delivery. This has enabled the work of the Respect Task Force to develop its remit to include, alongside tackling antisocial behaviour, a focus on delivering positive outcomes for young peopleincluding steps to prevent them getting into trouble and encouraging them to have respect for their community. To reflect this change, on 5 October 2007 the Government announced the creation of Youth Taskforce and this includes the former Respect Taskforce.
	The Youth Taskforce will build on the success of the Respect programme and will continue to support the local delivery of Government policy on antisocial behaviour, as well as positive outcomes for young people.
	Civil servants who worked in the Respect Task Force either remain working within the Department of Children, Schools and Families as part of the Youth Taskforce or are on secondment to other Government Departments.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have received  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) more than three anti-social behaviour orders since they were established.

Vernon Coaker: These data are not held centrally.

Asylum

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time has been for a decision to be made on asylum cases under the Legacy Casework programme whose questionnaires have been completed and returned; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost through the examination of individual cases.

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many grants of discretionary leave to remain in the UK in cases where return would breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights have been made in  (a) asylum cases and  (b) non-asylum cases in each year since the inception of discretionary leave.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2008
	Grants of discretionary leave (DL) to persons who have claimed asylum are recorded on individual files. Information is collated on the total number of grants of DL and the number of grants of DL made at initial decision on applications by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children aged 17 and under at the time of decision. Information is not collated about the reason for granting DL. Information about grants of DL for the purpose of article 8 of ECHR can be obtained by examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.
	Grants of non-asylum discretionary leave (DL) are included within the overall totals of grants of leave to remain (Command Paper Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006 (table 4.1 pages 54-59 refer) but are not identified separately within the tables. This publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Separating article 8 DL grants from these could be obtained by examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases where asylum seekers have been pursued for failing to report to a reporting centre there have been administrative errors in notification of the appropriate centre, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 22 January 2008
	The requested information is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost by examination of individual records.

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the reply of 16 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1297W, on asylum, which countries are included in the category Europe other in the breakdown by nationality of the grant of indefinite leave to remain under the 2003 family ILR exercise; and if she will break down by nationality the number in the  (a) Europe other and  (b) EU accession states categories.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	Asylum statistics are published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	
		
			  Grants of ILR issued under the family ILR exercise as at 7 December 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) , excluding dependants, for specified nationalities 
			  Country of nationality  Total 
			  EU Accession States  
			 Czech Republic 255 
			 Cyprus 35 
			 Estonia 90 
			 Hungary * 
			 Latvia 115 
			 Lithuania 380 
			 Poland 580 
			 Slovakia 80 
			 Slovenia * 
			 Total EU Accession States 1,545 
			   
			  Europe Other  
			 Bulgaria 65 
			 Croatia 360 
			 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 2,460 
			 Ireland * 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 35 
			 Republic of Montenegro 15 
			 Turkish controlled area of Cyprus 155 
			 Total Europe Other 3,090 
			 (1) Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5 (* = 1 or 2 ). (2) Main asylum applicants. (3) This information is based on internal management information. (4) Nationality recorded as at 7 December 2007 is not necessarily the applicant's nationality at the time of grant of ILR.

Asylum

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received about the International Training Agency's removal of failed asylum seekers from the UK; and how many have been substantiated.

Liam Byrne: Since 1 October 2006 there have been a total of nine complaints received about the International Training Agency's removal of persons from the United Kingdom. Of these, four have been unsubstantiated, one substantiated and the remaining four are still under investigation.

Departmental Data Protection

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which agencies and organisations have access to personal data held by her Department or its agencies; and which agencies and organisations have been provided with such data in each of the last two years.

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  on how many occasions the Information Commissioner was contacted by her Department to report breaches of data protection security in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many breaches of data protection security there were in her Department or her Department's agencies in each of the last five years; and if she will provide details of each breach.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she proposes to review how her Department transports data; and whether her Department uses TNT to transport data.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) Government organisations and providers and  (b) private sector providers her Department and its agencies use for postal and courier services; which of these have lost her Department's files, documents or databases containing personal information in the last five years; what information, relating to how many people, has been lost or mislaid in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Members to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179W. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review.

Departmental Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many reports have been made to her Department's nominated officers under paragraph 16 of the revised Civil Service Code since its publication on 6 June 2006;
	(2)  how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been reported to her Department by departmental staff since 6 June 2006;
	(3)  when her Department's whistleblowing procedures were reviewed to reflect the provisions in the revised civil service code.

Liam Byrne: Since 6 June 2006, there have been nine such reports. The Department sends details of the reports to the civil service commissioners on a six-monthly basis.
	There have been no known allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing reported in the Department.

Departmental Plastics

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Home Office-branded plastic bags her Department has procured in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Liam Byrne: The number of branded plastic bags that the Home Department purchased for the 24 months, January 2006 to December 2007, was 132,000 at a cost of 15,455.

Departmental Responsibilities

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) reviews,  (b) consultations and  (c) task forces her Department is (i) responsible for and (ii) scheduled to undertake; on what date each (A) started and (B) is expected to be completed; and what the purpose is of each.

Liam Byrne: Information relating to ad hoc reviews, groups and task forces is published at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/public-appointments-06-07?version=1.
	Information on consultations is available from the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/haveyoursay/current-consultations/
	and
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/consultations/
	and also published on the 10 Downing street website at:
	http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13183.asp

Departmental: Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Freedom of Information requests received by her Department have given rise to responses that have been published by her Department.

Liam Byrne: Between January 2005 and December 2007 the Home Office received 7,172 requests. As of 1 January 2008 977 (13 per cent.) of responses have appeared on the department's disclosure log. This figure includes requests received by the National Offender Management Service and Office for Criminal Justice Reform until 9 May 2007 when they ceased to be part of the Home Office upon the creation of the Ministry of Justice. Since the autumn of 2005 the Home Office disclosure log has been maintained on the basis of there being a presumption in favour of publication where information is released.

Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals who were handed down a community sentence were removed from the United Kingdom by  (a) deportation and  (b) administrative removal in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Chief Executive of the Border and Immigration Agency appeared before the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January and advised that the Agency has the power to deport what are regarded as non-conducive cases and that it is using administrative removal in cases where a community sentence has been given rather than deportation. She advised that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed in 2007.

Deportation

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who remained in the UK beyond the expiration of their visa were deported in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 February 2008
	No government has ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case. Information on the number of people who overstayed their visa and were subsequently removed could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	Exit controls were phased out from 1994. As part of the Government's 10-point plan for delivery, by Christmas 2008 the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This will build on the successes of our early testing of the e-Borders programme (Project Semaphore) which already covers over 30 million passenger movements and has led to 18,000 alerts and more than 1,500 arrests.
	This is part of a sweeping programme of border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.

Drugs: Arrests

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons found in possession of a class C drug for the first time were  (a) cautioned and  (b) charged with an offence in the area covered by the Metropolitan Police in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Information covering the number of offenders cautioned by the police and proceeded against at magistrates' courts in 2006 for offences relating to the possession of a class C drug in the Metropolitan Police force area, is provided in the following table.
	It is not possible to separately identify from the information held by my Department whether the offenders were cautioned or proceeded against for the first time.
	Information on charging is not reported to the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for offences in relation to the possession of a class C drug, Metropolitan police force area 2006( 1) 
			  Offence  Offenders cautioned  Defendants proceeded against 
			 Possession of a class C drug 5,040 4,049 
			 Possession of a class C drug with intent to supply 193 493 
			 Total 5,233 4,542 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.   Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Court proceedings database - Office For Criminal Justice Reform - Ministry of Justice.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes she has  (a) made and  (b) plans to make in respect of the granting of extensions to student visas; in what circumstances such extensions are refused; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In line with the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC418) laid before Parliament on 28 March 2007, changes relating to extensions of leave to remain as a student took effect on 1 September 2007. This inadvertently led to a particular group of students (those who already had leave to remain in the UK as a student and were applying for further leave to study here, as opposed to those who last entered the UK with a valid student entry clearance) being refused extension applications for not having valid leave.
	We have since issued a casework instruction to allow these cases to be treated in line with other groups of students. Casework instructions are kept under review at all times but a major overhaul of all the instructions relating to student applications will be undertaken in preparation of the introduction of the points based system as it will apply for students from the first quarter of 2009.

Firearms: Theft

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) shotguns,  (b) rifles and  (c) handguns were stolen in (i) England and Wales and (ii) each police force area in each year since 1997; and how many have been subsequently recovered and returned to the owner.

Vernon Coaker: Information on firearms stolen, subsequently recovered and returned to the owner is not collected centrally.
	Data on misappropriated firearms for England and Wales are given from 1997 to 2006-07. The breakdown of these weapons by police force area is not available centrally for years up to and including 2002-03; therefore force level data are given only from 2003-04 to 2006-07.
	
		
			  Table a: Firearms misappropriated( 1)  in crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, 1997 to 2002-03 
			  Weapon type  1997  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 Shotguns 539 524 395 447 431 423 462 
			 Rifles 193 155 179 200 172 139 129 
			 Handguns 305 270 242 219 167 79 85 
			 (1) .Misappropriated is defined as stolen, obtained by fraud or forgery etc. or handled dishonestly. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table b: Firearms misappropriated( 1)  in crimes recorded by the police, 2003-04 to 2006-07 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			  Force  Shotguns  Rifles  Handguns  Shotguns  Rifles  Handguns 
			 Avon and Somerset 31 4 1 11 7 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 2 1 6 12 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 4 2 8 0 0 
			 Cheshire 8 1 0 13 3 1 
			 Cleveland 2 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Cumbria 4 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 4 0 2 35 1 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4 4 0 30 7 2 
			 Dorset 9 11 0 4 1 0 
			 Durham 5 3 1 15 3 0 
			 Essex 11 0 0 7 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 3 2 2 4 2 0 
			 Gtr. Manchester 7 0 13 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 10 0 8 8 1 1 
			 Hertfordshire 5 0 2 7 1 1 
			 Humberside 19 23 0 4 12 1 
			 Kent 16 11 3 23 1 6 
			 Lancashire 8 1 2 7 4 1 
			 Leicestershire 12 2 0 11 0 5 
			 Lincolnshire 12 2 0 10 1 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 1 1 0 0 1 
			 Metropolitan 10 11 8 11 0 2 
			 Norfolk 23 0 0 12 5 0 
			 Northamptonshire 21 0 8 24 0 1 
			 Northumbria 2 2 1 0 1 2 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 13 1 1 10 3 18 
			 South Yorkshire 4 0 0 7 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 9 3 2 12 6 0 
			 Suffolk 15 2 0 6 1 0 
			 Surrey 6 2 0 6 3 0 
			 Sussex 5 2 7 17 5 4 
			 Thames Valley 49 16 12 40 18 7 
			 Warwickshire 18 0 0 10 3 2 
			 West Mercia 11 12 10 15 15 0 
			 West Midlands 11 2 1 9 12 1 
			 West Yorkshire 6 1 0 7 2 3 
			 Wiltshire 2 2 1 6 2 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 3 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Gwent 2 1 2 4 0 3 
			 North Wales 8 0 5 0 6 0 
			 South Wales 0 1 0 3 1 0 
			 Total 397 130 96 403 140 81 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			  Force  Shotguns  Rifles  Handguns  Shotguns  Rifles  Handguns 
			 Avon and Somerset 11 1 0 2 4 6 
			 Bedfordshire 1 2 0 2 1 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 3 0 7 9 4 
			 Cheshire 2 1 0 6 3 3 
			 Cleveland 6 3 3 1 2 0 
			 Cumbria 2 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 7 1 1 7 11 4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 11 1 11 7 8 29 
			 Dorset 1 0 0 2 3 0 
			 Durham 2 1 3 1 0 0 
			 Essex 7 3 3 9 2 2 
			 Gloucestershire 6 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Gtr. Manchester 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Hampshire 22 12 4 8 2 3 
			 Hertfordshire 6 8 2 2 6 1 
			 Humberside 3 5 4 11 20 6 
			 Kent 2 23 0 16 9 2 
			 Lancashire 14 2 1 2 1 3 
			 Leicestershire 1 1 27 7 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 8 1 2 19 2 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Merseyside 4 0 0 1 3 4 
			 Metropolitan 15 11 12 19 22 9 
			 Norfolk 6 4 1 10 2 0 
			 Northamptonshire 11 0 0 6 1 0 
			 Northumbria 7 6 1 14 10 1 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 9 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 1 7 1 5 3 
			 South Yorkshire 12 4 2 6 0 5 
			 Staffordshire 3 3 5 5 25 4 
			 Suffolk 4 0 0 8 5 3 
			 Surrey 9 0 0 8 7 0 
			 Sussex 7 0 0 8 15 2 
			 Thames Valley 10 7 6 19 7 2 
			 Warwickshire 9 7 0 12 6 1 
			 West Mercia 4 24 11 13 11 1 
			 West Midlands 8 2 1 5 2 0 
			 West Yorkshire 9 2 0 15 3 0 
			 Wiltshire 3 1 0 1 0 1 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 2 7 0 0 
			 North Wales 1 7 0 4 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 243 147 110 282 210 103 
			 (1) .Misappropriated is defined as stolen, obtained by fraud or forgery etc. or handled dishonestly. 
		
	
	continued

Forced Marriage

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that information on helplines and access to support for victims of forced marriage or persons in fear of forced marriage is made available at police stations and other public places within the responsibility of her Department.

Vernon Coaker: As part of the Forced Marriage Unit's outreach programme, the unit circulates forced marriage posters to a range of statutory agencies, including the police. The Forced Marriage Unit encourages agencies to display these posters in both police stations and other public places. In addition, in 2005 the Forced Marriage Unit issued guidance for police officers on dealing with cases of forced marriage.

Identity Documents

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 284W, on identity documents, how many of the 1,222 people convicted or cautioned for failing to produce immigration documents between September 2004 and November 2007 received a sentence of imprisonment.

Liam Byrne: On 22 September 2004 Section 2 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act came into force. Section 2 made failing to produce an immigration document, which satisfactorily establishes their nationality or identity, an offence. It does not differentiate between those who fail to produce an identity document or those who destroy an identity document on arrival.
	Between 22 September 2004 and 30 November 2007 Border Control criminal investigations teams secured 1,222 convictions under Section 2. All 1,222 of these resulted in a custodial sentence.
	The data provided are based on locally collated management information, which may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.

Illegal Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of criminal justice enforcement efforts against those responsible for the facilitating of illegal migration and the employment of illegal migrants; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) produces an annual assessment of the threat posed to the UK by organised crime, including immigration crime. Co-operation between all UK law enforcement agencies has led to 836 UK prosecutions for facilitation offences between 2003 and 2006 and 735 guilty verdicts. Close co-operation with the national law enforcement agencies of other countries, such as Police aux Frontieres in France, has also led to numerous convictions abroad.
	The Government are introducing a tough new sanction of knowingly employing an illegal immigrant, punishable by up to two years in prison. In tackling the employment of illegal migrants, the Government also concluded that the introduction of civil penalties, of up to 10,000 per worker, was likely to provide a more effective alternative to the criminal justice system for dealing with the generality of employers who fail in their legal obligation to avoid illegal sources of labour. Prosecution is then reserved for those cases involving the deliberate or conscious use of illegal workers. This approach is in line with the recommendations of the Hampton and Macrory reports on better regulation Tough new measures to prevent illegal migrant working, provided by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, will come into force on 29 February 2008.

Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what checks her Department and its agencies make on the immigration status of couriers working within her Department and its agencies; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many couriers working for or within her Department and its agencies were found to be illegal immigrants in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: There are currently three messengers, performing duties similar to a courier, based at Home Office headquarters. All have been subject to the Department's normal employment checks, which include checks on immigration status.
	Otherwise, the Home Office uses external courier companies to carry out courier services when required. It is the legal responsibility of the courier companies used to ensure that their staff are permitted to work in the UK.
	The Identity and Passport Service employs Secure Mail Services (SMS) to deliver passports to its customers and to transport its internal mail. As an additional safeguard since July 2006, IPS has arranged additional immigration status checks on all new SMS courier staff and retrospective checks on existing staff started in October 2007 will be completed in January 2008. No incidences of SMS employing illegal staff have been found.

Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give a break down by  (a) sex and  (b) age group of the cases in which grant of leave to remain in the UK was granted under the immigration legacy exercise.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost through the examination of individual cases.

Immigration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of likely changes in its  (a) expenditure on and  (b) revenue from immigration arising from the hosting of the 2012 Olympic Games;
	(2)  what provision her Department has planned for the Border and Immigration Agency to manage any increase in demands on its services arising from the Olympic Games in 2012.

Liam Byrne: The Borders and Immigration Agency has set up a programme to prepare for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Detailed financial and resource modelling has not been completed and it is too early to say what resources will be necessary to deal with the expected increase in demands arising from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.
	The programme is working with key stakeholders to establish requirements and is learning from the experience of past host nations. Its aim is to ensure the efficient passage of participants, workers and visitors coming to the United Kingdom for the 2012 games while maintaining the security of our borders.

Kent

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds in the form of  (a) revenue payments,  (b) capital grants and  (c) supported borrowing for which her Department is responsible have been made available to (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2007-08.

Liam Byrne: For 2007-08 the Home Office will make funding available to Kent county council, Thanet district council and Dover district council from the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF), the Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant (YPSMPG), the Drug Intervention programme (DIP) main grant, and the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children Grant (UASC).
	The SSCF is a joint Communities and Local Government (CLG) and Home Office fund aimed at tackling crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour, empowering communities, improving the condition of streets and public spaces and prioritising the most deprived neighbourhoods. The Home Office contribution to the SSCF is paid to CLG who in turn make the payments to top tier local authorities. It is for these local authorities in two-tier areas (in this case Kent county council), to decide on subsequent allocations within the county to local partners and partnerships as set out in local area agreements. In 2007-08 the Home Office contribution to the SSCF in Kent is 1,384,873 resource and 439,002 capital.
	The YPSMPG is a pooled cross-departmental grant, managed by the Home Office. It facilitates better joined-up local planning and commissioning of young people's substance misuse services, in line with the principles in Every Child Matters and enables the delivery of services to be more responsive to local need, by giving greater flexibility in local commissioning decisions. The YPSMPG is paid to Kent county council as the top tier authority and then distributed across the county as per jointly agreed priorities and targets for the development and operation of responses to children and young people's drug use between drug action team chairs, directors of Children's Services and the Government office joint regional team. In 2007-08, Kent's YPSMPG allocation is 1,088,044.
	The DIP main grant is a Home Office grant aimed at getting adult drug-misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment and other support. The allocations to local areas are decided centrally, with input from the Government Offices in the regions, and, in Kent's case, are paid to Kent county council. Kent then transfers the funding to the Kent drug action team (DAT) and the Medway DAT. It is for the DATs to decide how best to use the funding to deliver the Drug Intervention programme across their areas, taking account of Home Office guidance. In 2007-08 Kent county council's DIP main grant allocation is 1,385,981, of which 1,151,373 is allocated to the Kent DAT and 234,608 is allocated to the Medway DAT.
	The UASC grant is for children under the age of 18, who are separated from both parents and not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, has responsibility to do so, and who have applied for asylum in their own right. There is a fixed grant rate the authority can claim per child, and the total claim is dependent on the number of children supported. The maximum grant that Kent is estimated to be able to claim in 2007-08 is calculated at 4.4 million. Payments are made to Kent as it is responsible for managing the UASC grant in this region.

Offenders: Deportation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted foreign offenders were given a payment in return for voluntarily leaving the UK in each year since the inception of such payments; what the total value of such payments was in each year; and how many such offenders had been sentenced to  (a) a custodial sentence of more than 12 months,  (b) a custodial sentence of less than 12 months,  (c) a community sentence and  (d) a fine.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through examination of individual file records at disproportionate cost. The facilitated returns scheme, which relates specifically to foreign nationals serving custodial sentences for crimes committed within the UK, has run since October 2006. In her letter of 20 November to the Home Affairs Select Committee the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised that more than 900 individuals had been removed under the scheme, 75 per cent. of whom had been removed direct from prison. A copy of the letter is available in the Library of the House.

Offenders: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many of the 4,000 prisoners deported in 2007 were non-EU nationals; how many were  (a) recommended for deportation by a judge at the time of sentencing and  (b) deported following consideration of their case; how many non-EU national prisoners were liable to be considered for deportation in 2007 but not deported; and how many non-EU national prisoners serving sentences of more than 12 months were liable to be considered for deportation in 2007 but not deported;
	(2)  how many non-EU foreign prisoners serving sentences of  (a) 12 months or more and  (b) less than 12 months have been (i) considered for deportation and deported, (ii) considered for deportation and not deported, (iii) deported following a recommendation from a judge for deportation and (iv) allowed to remain in the UK on the completion of the custodial part of their sentence even though made the subject of a recommendation by a judge for deportation in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual casefiles at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency appeared before the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January and confirmed that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were removed or deported from the United Kingdom in 2007. The Home Secretary has also confirmed that this includes more than 20 killers, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 1,100 drug offenders.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals serving prison sentences of less than 12 months were deported in 2007.

Liam Byrne: The chief executive has regularly updated the Home Affairs Committee over the past 18 months with the most accurate and robust information available on the numbers of foreign national prisoners who have been deported from the United Kingdom. Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House. The chief executive appeared before the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January and confirmed that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners had been deported in 2007 and she will continue to provide updates to the Committee as required.

Offenders: Deportation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) non-EU citizens and  (b) foreign nationals who were convicted of (i) firearms and (ii) drug offences in the UK were deported in each of the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported in 2007. The Home Secretary has also confirmed that this included more than 1,100 drug offenders, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 20 killers. The chief executive of the Agency will continue to update the Home Affairs Committee as required.

Offenders: Deportation

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign prisoners were removed from the UK after being released from prison in 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 January 2008
	Those foreign national prisoners subject to deportation action are detained under Immigration Powers following the expiry of their criminal sentences. The chief executive appeared before the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January and advised that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners had been removed or deported from the UK in 2007.

Police

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police special officers there were in each police authority in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in each year since 2000.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series 'Police Service Strength, England and Wales.' The bulletins are available in the Library of the House, and can be downloaded from the publications link within the Research Development and Statistics directorate website located at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.html

Political Impartiality

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what purpose her Department records the political opinions of  (a) staff and  (b) the public.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not record the political opinions of  (a) staff or  (b) the public.

Prisoners Release

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many released prisoners were removed from prison to immigration centres in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007; how many such people were subsequently released from immigration centres; and in how many such cases were such releases notified to the (i) police and (ii) Probation Service.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained through the detailed examination of BIA and Prison Service casefiles only at disproportionate cost. Those foreign criminals subject to deportation action are detained under Immigration Powers upon the expiry of their criminal sentence pending removal or deportation from the UK.

Regulation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which regulators and inspectorates her Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year.

Liam Byrne: Regulators and inspectorates for which the Home Office is currently responsible are:
	 Regulators
	Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
	Security Industry Authority
	The following bodies whose powers are covered by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA): Investigatory Powers Tribunal*; Office of Surveillance Commissioners*; Technical Advisory Panel*; Intelligence Services Commissioner; Interception of Communications Commissioner.
	 Inspectorates
	HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
	Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate
	The following bodies which the Home Office announced in March 2007 were to be merged into a single inspectorate for the immigration system: the BIA Complaints Audit Committee*, the Monitor of Accommodation Centres, the Race Monitor, the Certification Monitor and the Advisory Panel on Country Information*.
	Budgets for 1997-98 to 2006-07 are set out as follows:
	* Information on these bodies, for years 1997-98 to 2005-06, can be found at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/public bodies/index.asp
	Information for 2006-07 will be available shortly.
	From 2005-06 onwards SIA have had a token estimates section of 1,000 as they are financed through receipted fees.
	Data cannot be separately identified for ASPI for financial year 2004-05.
	The information on the cost of restructurings and the disaggregation of information on the Intelligence Services Commissioner, the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Monitor of Accommodation Centres, the Race Monitor and the Certification Monitor could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of any restructuring within other bodies can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings she has had with trades union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trades unions.

Liam Byrne: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Visas

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to expedite the processing of visa applications for those wishing to attend the 2012 Olympic Games; and what additional resources she estimates will be required to deal with the expected rise in the number of applications.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 28 January 2008
	The handling of visa applications leading up to 2012 forms part of a programme set up by the Border and Immigration Agency to prepare for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The programme will work with key stakeholders and is looking at the experience of past host nations. It is too early to say what resources will be necessary to deal with the expected increase in visa applications, but a key aim is to ensure the efficient passage of participants, workers and visitors coming to the United Kingdom for the 2012 games while maintaining the security of our Borders.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Birthday Cards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Department has spent on sending birthday messages to people on their 100th birthday in each of the last 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: Information on how much the Department has spent on sending birthday messages to people on their 100th birthday in each of the last 10 years is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of 100th birthday messages sent by the Department in each of the last 10 years is in the table.
	
		
			   Number of 100th birthday messages sent 
			 1997 3,326 
			 1998 3,492 
			 1999 3,761 
			 2000 3,900 
			 2001 4,171 
			 2002 4,270 
			 2003 4,133 
			 2004 4,005 
			 2005 4,428 
			 2006 4,639 
			 2007 4,991

Birthday Cards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the practice of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions sending messages to people on their 100th birthday was introduced.

Mike O'Brien: The exact information is not available. However, there is evidence that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and its predecessor Departments have been sending congratulatory messages to centenarians for at least the last 30 years.

Child Poverty Unit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings the Child Poverty Unit has had.

Anne McGuire: The formation of the Child Poverty Unit was announced on 29 October and was established on 12 November. It brings together officials from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Children, Schools and Families who work side by side.
	Members of the Unit have had numerous meetings with lobby, think tank and other stakeholders, as well as attending ministerial meetings. In addition, the Unit held a seminar on tackling child poverty in local areas for local authorities and others, hosted a cross-Whitehall Stakeholder Group meeting, and attended the recent Four Countries meeting, hosted by the Scottish Executive.

Departmental Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality.
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministerial_code_current.pdf

Departmental Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff work in his Department's parliamentary branch; and what proportion of their time is spent on dealing with  (a) Parliamentary Questions and  (b) correspondence from hon. Members and Peers.

Anne McGuire: There are 11 staff in the parliamentary branch; four deal exclusively with parliamentary questions. Other staff in the parliamentary branch spend a proportion of their time dealing with parliamentary questions equivalent to approximately 50 per cent. of one post. The parliamentary branch does not deal with correspondence from Members or Peers.

Departmental Standards

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken towards delivering in its business strategy the six Cs of focusing on the customer, developing our culture, continuous improvement, giving customers choice, extending contestability and establishing a clear distinction between commissioning and delivery roles.

Anne McGuire: The Department's business strategy is now being implemented through a DWP Change Programme. The programme aims to provide more integrated services that better meet the needs of our customers; to give greater choice to our customers on how they can access our services and to support our staff in continuously improving processes using lean techniques, ensuring that they provide what is most important to the customer, while cutting out wasteful activities.
	The Department has established a new customer insight function to help us to gain a better understanding of our customers' needs and provide a more informed basis for our future service design. A number of locations are trialling the use of lean techniques, while other locations are involved in providing more integrated services for customers who move in and out of work. This work is being taken forward in collaboration with local authorities and HMRC. In addition, the Department is improving the services that are available to our customers over the internet.

Departmental Telephone Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts his Department has for the provision of call centres outside the UK.

Anne McGuire: My Department has no call centres outside the UK for the provision of its business or internal services.

Employment Schemes: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of all Government employment programmes in each year since 1997 for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Cost of all employment programmes 
			million 
			 1997-98 294 
			 1998-99 416 
			 1999-2000 626 
			 2000-01 658 
			 2001-02 890 
			 2002-03 924 
			 2003-04 1,034 
			 2004-05 1,160 
			 2005-06 1,092 
			 2006-07 999 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are in nominal terms. 2. Programmes included are: Employment Zones; Working Neighbourhoods Pilot; External Action Teams; Princes Youth Business Trust; Work Based Learning for Adults; European Social Fund; Jobsearch Provision; Incapacity Benefit Reforms; Ambition; Adviser Discretion Fund; Internal Action Teams; Ethnic Minorities Pilot; New Deals; Remploy (see note 6); Work Step; Access to Work; Residential Training Centres; Work Preparation. 3. Not all programmes ran in each year. 4. Information about programme expenditure for Employment Zones, The Prince's Trust, and Working Neighbourhoods is not available prior to 2004-05, and is not included in the figures for earlier years. 5. The figures do not include administration expenditure. 6. Remploy is an executive non-departmental public body, limited by guarantee and, for accounting purposes, a public corporation which publishes its own annual report and accounts and whose net liabilities are guaranteed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Jobcentre Plus payment to Remploy included in the figures in the table represents grant in aid to help meet the additional costs associated with supporting large numbers of disabled people  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, and Employment Service annual reports

Employment: Disabled

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the two tick system in guaranteeing a disabled person with appropriate qualifications an interview for an advertised job.

Anne McGuire: No assessment has been made of how many more people have been guaranteed an interview purely as a result of the disability symbol being awarded. However, once the disability symbol has been awarded it is reviewed annually to make sure employers continue to meet the associated commitments.
	As part of the award or review process, employers are asked to explain how they apply their commitment to guarantee interviews (internal and external) for disabled customers and how they make the minimum criteria available to applicants. Where concerns are identified, Jobcentre Plus will work with the employer to resolve these and to strengthen their employment practices. Ultimately, if an employer fails to meet any element of their two ticks commitments, the symbol status is withdrawn.

Industrial Health and Safety: Music

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what guidance he gives to employers on the volume of recorded music broadcast in the workplace; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what legislative provisions are in place governing the volume of recorded music which may be broadcast in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force on 6 April 2006. These regulations require employers to assess the risks to their employees from exposure to noise at work and to reduce these risks to as low a level as is reasonably practicable. The Health and Safety Executive does not provide specific guidance on the volume of recorded music broadcast in the workplace, but HSE's guidance Controlling noise at work (ISBN 0717661644) sets out the regulations and provides general guidance for employers on protecting employees from risks caused by noise at work.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department may take in cases where people in receipt of jobseeker's allowance are offered appropriate employment and do not take it.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 6 February 2007:
	The Secretary of State for Employment and Welfare Reform has asked me to reply to your question about what steps his Department may take in cases where people in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance are offered appropriate employment and do not take it. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Where it appears someone has not done enough to find work or is unreasonably restricting their availability for work, the case is referred to an independent decision maker to see if the customer is entitled to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). A key part of the JSA labour market intervention process is making sure people are aware of, and making best use of, all vacancy sources, e.g. our telephony based service (Jobseeker Direct) and our on-line Internet Job Bank, both of which provide people with fast and easy access to jobs.
	Where it is clear, from discussions with the customer that they are actively seeking work and making best use of appropriate vacancy sources, the issue of refusing employment does not tend to arise. However, where someone has been matched and submitted to a specific job, e.g. at one of the more in-depth interviews everyone has with a personal adviser at key stages or with providers of our mandatory contracted provision, and they refuse the offer, the case will be referred to a decision maker and, where good cause cannot be shown, a benefit sanction is applied.
	I hope this reply is helpful and assures you of our intent to make sure Jobseekers Allowance is paid only to those who are looking for work and therefore entitled to payment.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants aged 16 to 24 terminated their claim after five months but before six months of making an initial claim in the latest period for which figures are available; and of those how many returned to JSA within  (a) one week,  (b) one month,  (c) three months,  (d) six months and  (e) one year of such termination.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of  jobseeker ' s allowance  (JSA) terminations aged 16 to 24, who terminated their claim between five and six months, then flowed back on to JSA 
			Number of  which  that flowed on to JSA 
			  Quarter ending  Number of JSA terminations  Within one week  More than a week but less than a month  More than a month but less than three months  More than three months but less than six months  More than six months but less than a year 
			 August 2005 10,600 1,000 1,600 1,300 1,400 1,200 
			 November 2005 11,000 1,000 1,400 1,600 1,700 1,300 
			 February 2006 8,600 800 1,300 1,300 1,000 700 
			 May 2006 13,000 1,100 1,700 1,800 1,600 1,700 
			 August 2006 11,900 1,100 1,600 1,900 1,200 1,000 
			 November 2006 11,000 900 1,100 2,100 1,100 100 
			 February 2007 9,700 1,000 1,200 1,400 400 n/a 
			 May 2007 10,400 600 1,000 400 n/a n/a 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.  2. Data commences in 2005 to ensure capture of information on people flowing back on to JSA up to 12 months after the termination of their claim.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate five per cent sample and five per cent. terminations dataset.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants aged 25 or over terminated their claim for JSA after 17 months but before 18 months of making an initial claim in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many returned to JSA within  (a) one week,  (b) one month,  (c) three months,  (d) six months and  (e) one year of such termination.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) terminations aged 25 or over who terminated their claim between 17 and 18 months, then flowed on to JSA 
			N umber of which that flowed on to JSA 
			  Quarter ending  Number of JSA terminations  Within one week  More than a week but less than a month  More than a month but less than 3 months  More than 3 months but less than 6 months  More than 6 months but less than a year 
			 August 2005 1,700 200 100 200 200 200 
			 November 2005 1,200 0 100 200 100 100 
			 February 2006 1,000 200 100 100 100 100 
			 May 2006 1,700 200 100 300 100 200 
			 August 2006 1,800 300 300 300 100 100 
			 November 2006 1,900 100 200 200 200 100 
			 February 2007 1,900 200 200 200 n/a n/a 
			 May 2007 1,900 100 100 n/a n/a n/a 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Data commence in 2005 to ensure capture of information on people flowing back on to JSA up to 12 months after the termination of their claim.  Source: DWP Information Directorate five per cent sample and 5 per cent. terminations dataset

Mercury: Health Hazards

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 862-3W, what the outcome of each of the five cases was for the health of the individual concerned.

Anne McGuire: HSE does not have information on the outcome for the health of the individuals previously reported to be affected by mercury poisoning.

National Insurance: Foreigners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foreign residents successfully applied for national insurance numbers in each London borough in each of the last four years.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to 2005-06. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of foreign nationals in London local authorities 
			  Local authority  2005-06  2006-07 
			 City of London 530 730 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,200 3,120 
			 Barnet 8,840 9,310 
			 Bexley 1,410 1,570 
			 Brent 15,060 15,600 
			 Bromley 2,130 2,200 
			 Camden 7,780 8,320 
			 Croydon 5,900 6,340 
			 Ealing 15,250 14,300 
			 Enfield 5,030 5,710 
			 Greenwich 5,700 5,820 
			 Hackney 7,640 7,630 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 9,410 9,310 
			 Haringey 9,580 10,970 
			 Harrow 5,070 5,500 
			 Havering 1,100 1,000 
			 Hillingdon 4,320 4,420 
			 Hounslow 10,600 9,800 
			 Islington 6,790 6,610 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6,460 7,250 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,830 2,970 
			 Lambeth 10,460 11,170 
			 Lewisham 6,770 6,840 
			 Merton 6,470 6,680 
			 Newham 14,880 16,160 
			 Redbridge 5,320 5,220 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,960 2,930 
			 Southwark 9,670 9,690 
			 Sutton 1,680 1,940 
			 Tower Hamlets 10,430 11,800 
			 Waltham Forest 9,990 9,680 
			 Wandsworth 11,420 11,720 
			 Westminster 10,960 11,790 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Numbers are based on 100 per cent. data from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS). 3. Local authority is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. 4. Local authority counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient. 5. Years refer to financial years6 April to 5 April 6. People whose nationality is unknown are included in the table.  Source:  100 per cent. data at 17 June 2006 and 14 May 2007 from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS).

New Deal for Young People

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the pre-gateway stage went into  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefitsjobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefitsincome support,  (e) benefitsincapacity benefit,  (f) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefitsother/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (1) two weeks, (2) three months, (3) six months and (4) one year of leaving the programme in each year since 1997 for which information is available;
	(2)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the gateway stage went into  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefitsjobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefitsincome support,  (e) benefitsincapacity benefit,  (f) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefitsother/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (1) two weeks, (2) three months, (3) six months and (4) one year of leaving the programme in each year since 1997 for which information is available;
	(3)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the option stageemployment went into  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefitsjobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefitsincome support,  (e) benefitsincapacity benefit,  (f) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefitsother/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (1) two weeks, (2) three months, (3) six months and (4) one year of leaving the programme in each year since 1997 for which information is available;
	(4)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the option stagefull-time education went into  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefitsjobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefitsincome support,  (e) benefitsincapacity benefit,  (f) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefitsother/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (1) two weeks, (2) three months, (3) six months and (4) one year of leaving the programme in each year since 1997 for which information is available;
	(5)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the option stagevoluntary sector went into  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefitsjobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefitsincome support,  (e) benefitsincapacity benefit,  (f) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefitsother/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (1) two weeks, (2) three months, (3) six months and (4) one year of leaving the programme in each year since 1997 for which information is available;
	(6)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the option stage (environment task force) went into  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefitsjobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefitsincome support,  (e) benefitsincapacity benefit,  (f) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefitsother/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (A) two weeks, (B) three months, (C) six months and (D) one year of leaving the programme for which figures are available in each year since 1997;
	(7)  how many New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants who left the NDYP at the follow through stage whose last option was  (a) education and training,  (b) voluntary sector and  (c) environment task force went into (i) employment, (ii) employment and benefits, (iii) benefitsjobseeker's allowance, (iv) benefitsincome support, (v) benefitsincapacity benefit, (vi) benefitsincome support and incapacity benefit, (vii) benefitsother/unknown benefits, (viii) other known destination and (ix) off benefits unknown destination within (A) two weeks, (B) three months, (C) six months and (D) one year of leaving the programme for which figures are available in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The available requested information has been placed in the Library.

New Deal for Young People: Expenditure

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much of the expenditure on the new deal for young people was spent on the  (a) gateway,  (b) voluntary sector option,  (c) environmental taskforce option,  (d) full-time education and training options,  (e) employment option,  (f) pre-gateway,  (g) follow-up and  (h) other parts of the programme, in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much of the expenditure on the new deal for 25 plus was spent on the  (a) pre-gateway,  (b) gateway,  (c) intensive activity period (i) employment, (ii) basic employability and skills training, (iii) self-employment, (iv) educational and training opportunities, (v) work experience/placements, (vi) training and (vii) other options, (d) follow through and (e) other parts of the programme in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The available requested information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1 :  to tals for new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus spend 
			   Overall total  ( million) 
			 1997-98 12 
			 1998-99 179 
			 1999-2000 353 
			 2000-01 335 
			 2001-02 359 
			 2002-03 388 
			 2003-04 453 
			 2004-05 433 
			 2005-06 322 
			 2006-07 322 
			  Note: The figures in table 1 represent the totals of the figures in tables 2, 3 and 4. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: new deal for young people spend 
			   million 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Voluntary sector 17 37 37 33 25 24 20 18 18 
			 Environmental task force 21 38 38 36 23 23 17 13 13 
			 Gateway41 40 
			 Full-time education and training 28 35 33 22 18 30 35 29 33 
			 Total 66 110 108 91 66 77 72 101 104 
			  Note: Figures in table 2 are the available information for separately recorded new deal for young people spend. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: new deal 25 plus spend 
			   million 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Intensive activity period27 51 58 50 46 41 
			 Gateway9 7 
			 Total27 51 58 50 55 48 
			  Note: Figures in table 3 are the available information for separately recorded new deal 25 plus spend. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: combined new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus spend 
			   million 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Employment option  18 35 22 18 16 13 10 8 7 
			 Self employment  0 1 2 1 2 4 5 5 5 
			 Follow through  0 1 3 3 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Gateway  16 73 66 84 76 97 94   
			 Others 12 79 133 134 135 176 203 202 153 158 
			 Total 12 113 243 227 241 271 318 311 166 170 
			  Notes: 1. Table 4 provides combined information for when separate information for the individual programmes is not available. 2. Information for the new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus Gateway is only available split between the programmes for 2005-06 and 2006-07. 3. Information for employment, self employment, follow-through and the 'others' category is only available as a combined new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus spend. 4. Expenditure of 12 million was incurred on the new deal for young people in 1997-98 but is not available split across the requested categories. 5. The new deal 25 plus intensive activity period (IAP) started in 2001. 6. A breakdown of spend on all the different elements of the IAP is not available. 7. Examples of the expenditure in the 'others' category are: new deal allowances to new deal participants; payments to employers; payments to private sector organisations; Progress2Work support fees and customer travel costs. 8. There is no separately recorded spend from the new deal budget on the pre-Gateway stage of new deal. 9. Data for information in all tables is to March 2007. 10. Totals in all tables may not sum due to rounding.  Source: For data in all tablesDepartment for Work and Pensions Annual Accounts

New Deal Schemes: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of each New Deal programme in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New deal costs 
			   million 
			   New deal for young people  New deal 25 plus  New deal for young people and new deal 25 plus  New deal 50 plus  New deal for lone parents  New deal for disabled people  New deal for partners  Total 
			 1997-98 12   12 
			 1998-99 162 17   1   180 
			 1999-2000 282 71  1 12 15  381 
			 2000-01 293 42  45 14 7 1 402 
			 2001-02 219 140  82 9 4 2 456 
			 2002-03 221 167  82 18 16  504 
			 2003-04 264 189  41 20 28  542 
			 2004-05 254 179  3 24 65 1 526 
			 2005-06 188 134  1 26 68 1 418 
			 2006-07   322  41 73 1 437 
			 Total 1,895 939 (1)322 255 165 276 6 3,858 
			 (1) There is no split currently available between new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus for 2006/07. The expenditure has been presented as a combined figure until a final apportionment is made in the departmental report.  Notes: 1. Spend data includes all new deal programme costs and allowances paid to participants apart from the 50 plus element of the working tax credit. As this is not included, new deal 50 plus costs reduce after 2002/03. 2. Expenditure for new deal 50 plus for 2006/07 was under half a million and is thus not shown. 3. Following agreement with HM Treasury in 2002/03, ring fences were removed from new deal. Administrative costs are excluded as it is no longer possible to identify the costs of administering the costs of each new deal separately from the costs of other labour market activities. 4. Expenditure data includes start-up costs. 5. Following changes to the new deal 25 plus programme in April 2001 when a mandatory intensive activity period was introduced, programme costs rose significantly. 6. Expenditure for new deal for partners in 2002/03 and 2003/04 is not recorded in the table as, excluding administrative costs, costs were around 300,000 for both years and all figures are rounded to the nearest million. New deal for partners was re-launched in April 2004. 7. Programme start dates are: new deal for young people: January 1998; new deal 25 plus: July 1998; new deal for lone parents: October 1998; new deal for partners: April 1999; new deal 50 plus: April 2000; new deal for disabled people: July 2001 (new deal for disabled people pilots ran from September 1998-June 2001). 8. Latest figures are to March 2007.  Source: DWP Departmental Reports 2005-06, Jobcentre Plus Accounts 2006/07

New Deal Schemes: Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those returning to jobseeker's allowance (JSA) immediately after a period on the new deal are counted as making two distinct claims for JSA; and how the duration of a claim for JSA is determined.

Stephen Timms: The monthly Labour Market Statistics published by the Office for National Statistics treat any claim to JSA after a period on one of the full-time new deal options as a new claim. This is in line with long standing practice.
	We have been explicit, from the start of our welfare to work interventions in 1998, about how we would measure the duration of JSA claims. The duration of a current JSA claim is determined by comparing the start date of that claim with the count date for the latest month's figures, which is the second Thursday of the month. Where duration is measured over more than one spell, the duration of previous spells is determined by using the start and end dates of each relevant claim.
	Since the introduction of the new deal, the number of people experiencing long periods on JSA has improved substantially, regardless of whether this is measured using the duration of continuous spells or by adding up the total time individuals spend in unemployment in more than one spell.

Pension Service: Internet

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the e-forecasting service on the Pension Service website was used to calculate state pension forecasts in each month since May 2007.

Mike O'Brien: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Pensions forecasts utilising e-forecasting service, May to December 2007 
			   Total 
			 May 11,628 
			 June 10,134 
			 July 8,209 
			 August 2,691 
			 September 2,983 
			 October 4,011 
			 November 5,065 
			 December 3,173 
			 Total 47,894 
			  Notes: 1. The Pensions Act 2007, introduced in July 2007, requires some significant changes to the pension forecasting IT systems. Due to this, the Pension Service is temporarily unable to provide people who reach state pension age on or after 6 April 2010 with a full state pension forecast. This is why the number of web-based forecast requests has reduced since August 2007. 2. People reaching state pension age after 2010 who contact the Pension Service retirement pension forecasting team will still be able to obtain personalised information. Information provided includes details on the number of qualifying years people have accrued, to help with considerations such as the payment of voluntary national insurance contributions, and how the changes to the state pension rules may affect their state pension position. 3. It is expected that the web-based forecasting service will be available in spring 2008.  Source: MI Real Time Pension Forecasting system provided by EDS

Race Task Force

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work has been undertaken by the Race Task Force.

Anne McGuire: The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, which is chaired the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform in DWP, brings together Ministers from across Government and key stakeholders to tackle the cross-cutting challenges of narrowing the ethnic minority employment gap.
	The task force is supported by an independent advisory group and by four focus groups which work day-to-day on its four current priorities: procurement, local area initiatives, employer engagement and the 2012 Olympics.
	Achievements over the last year include: working with city strategy pathfinders to set targets on ethnic minority representation; establishing pilots on public sector procurement, as a means of encouraging contractors to improve their diversity practices; and bringing together employers and ethnic minority women to discuss the challenges faced by ethnic minority women in the labour market.
	Over the next 12 months, the work of the task force will include: helping to ensure that the new working neighbourhoods fund makes a difference to the ethnic minority employment gap; and contributing to the Government's response to the report of the Business Commission on Race Equality in the Workplace.
	Further information on the work carried out by the Task Force since its inception in 2003 can be accessed at the Task Force website: www.emetaskforce.gov.uk.
	The ethnic minority employment gap is now 13.2 per cent.down by 2.8 percentage points since the beginning of the spending review period.

Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of benefit payments made by his Department were to people living outside the UK in the last year for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. As at November 2007, the most recent available information, 7.6 per cent. of payments for those benefits which can be paid to people living abroad, were paid to people living abroad. The large majority of payments made abroad are for state retirement pension.

State Retirement Pensions: Essex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average age of entitlement to a state pension was in  (a) Romford,  (b) Essex and  (c) Greater London in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Area  Average age pension of entitlement to a state 
			 Romford 62 
			 Essex 62 
			 London 63 
			  Notes: 1. The area of Romford is the parliamentary constituency. 2. The area of Essex is the county councilthe figure has been calculated from totalling the relevant local authorities. 3. The area of Greater London is the London Government Office Region. 4. Geographical areas are derived using the relevant Office for National Statistics post code directory.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. on-flows experimental data as at May 2007

Unemployment Benefits: Children

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of children lived in families claiming out-of-work benefits in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Stephen Timms: Information is not available prior to 2004. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Written Questions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 162683, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November, on ex-prisoners.

Stephen Timms: My predecessor replied to the hon. Member's question on 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 200W.

HEALTH

Blood Donors: Prisoners

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Answer of 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 991W, on blood: prisoners, 
	(1)  what his Department's policy was on blood donations from prisoners in each year from 1978 to 1986; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what records are kept of communications between his Department and regional transfusion centre directors over blood donations from prisoners in 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have established that Regional Transfusion Directors in England started to phase out blood collections from prisons from 1980.
	The Department has now released, in line with the Freedom of Information Act, all the documents referred to in the reply given on 29 October 2007. These include documents relating to the use of blood from prisoners. These papers are available in the Library and on the Department's website at:
	dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Freedomofinformationpublicationschemefeedback/FOIreleases/DH_076693

Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to support Brent teaching primary care trust following its financial difficulties; and when the Taylor report on the trust's financial management will be published.

Ben Bradshaw: The financial position of Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust (tPCT) is a matter for the local national health service. However, we are informed by NHS London that Brent tPCT entered voluntary turnaround in summer 2006, worked on a detailed plan with KPMG through October and began implementation in November 2006. The current programme is for the 2007-08 financial year and is looking to save 25 million. Plans are currently being worked through to determine the need for future savings in 2008-09.
	Regarding the publication of the Taylor report, we are informed by NHS London that the report has not yet been finalised and is going through due process, including taking advice from NHS London's solicitors.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, what the timetable is for  (a) beginning and  (b) concluding a consultation on (i) proposals for the next steps in tobacco control and (ii) the further regulation of tobacco products.

Dawn Primarolo: The consultation on proposals for the next steps in tobacco control and the further regulation of tobacco products will take place during spring 2008. A specific timetable for the consultation has not yet been published.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, what the timetable is for launching a national communications campaign to improve the public's understanding of units of alcohol; when he plans to evaluate the effectiveness of such a scheme; and by what means.

Dawn Primarolo: The forthcoming unit campaign to improve the public's understanding of units of alcohol will launch in May 2008. For the duration of the campaign the Department will monitor its effectiveness by qualitative and quantitative tracking.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, what the timetable is for rolling out the Sunsmart campaign; when he plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme; by what means; and what timetable he has for gathering more information about sunbed use.

Dawn Primarolo: Planning is under way for the 2008 SunSmart campaign, the national skin prevention and sun protection project, run by Cancer Research UK on behalf of the United Kingdom Health Departments. Evaluation is built into the planning of each year's campaign. The Department is currently working with stakeholders to consider the best way to gather information about the number and distribution of sunbeds and the scale of their use.

Cancer: Drugs

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts in England provide funding for surafenib for patients with  (a) advanced renal cell cancer and  (b) liver cancer.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally.

Care Quality Commission

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Care Quality Commission will be responsible for ensuring that recommendations arising out of upheld service user and carer complaints are implemented.

Ivan Lewis: Complaints are best dealt with locally. An independent view will be available through the ombudsman, but the emphasis should be on effective, local resolution and local implementation of lessons learned. With excellent local arrangements for dealing with complaints, there will be no need for further external consideration and the responses to our recent consultation 'Making Experiences Count' generally supported this approach.
	While the Care Quality Commission will not have a direct role in handling or following up individual complaints (other than complaints that fall to be investigated under section 120 of the Mental Health Act 1983), the Commission will need to take account of concerns, complaints and allegations when determining whether services are being provided safely and are of appropriate quality.
	This kind of intelligence will feed into the risk assessments the Commission will make when determining the level of scrutiny it should apply to a particular provider.

Care Quality Commission

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Care Quality Commission will be responsible for regulating assessment of mental health needs in forensic settings.

Ivan Lewis: The Care Quality Commission will take on the functions of the Mental Health Act Commission and will continue to review the use of the Mental Health Act 1983.
	In addition, the Department will be consulting shortly on exactly which activities will be regulated by the Care Quality Commission. We would therefore not wish to pre-empt the outcome of that consultation. We would encourage all those with an interest in this area to engage with the Department on this consultation.

Chronically Sick

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of creating long-term conditions networks on the management of patients with long-term conditions.

Ann Keen: A number of disease specific networks, for example for cancer, diabetes and vascular disease, have been established to improve care and services for people with these conditions. In addition to these, general long-term conditions networks have also been established. Assessment and monitoring of the networks is undertaken at local level.

Community Care: Medical Equipment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist NHS organisations to encourage patients with long-term conditions to report medical information to health care professionals from their homes via  (a) telephone and  (b) computer.

Ann Keen: holding answer 31 January 2008
	The Whole System Long Term Conditions Demonstrators (WSDs) promised in the White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say will explore the effectiveness of telehealth and telecare in supporting integrated care for those with heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. As part of the WSDs, the vital signs (for example pulse rate, temperature and blood pressure) of several thousand individuals will be measured over a period of at least a year. To facilitate this, peripherals such as blood pressure monitors will be connected to a telehealth hub (a form of computer sited in the home) that is linked via a telephone line or broadband to systems that are securely monitored by clinicians. The benefits of undertaking these measurements in the home will be assessed by an independent evaluation and these results will help inform the wider uptake of self reported vital signs monitoring from the home.
	The reporting of medical information to health professionals via telephone is being pioneered in places across England. For example, the Birmingham OwnHealth Service offers people a personalised programme of health care support over the telephone from a dedicated Care Managera fully trained, experienced nursewho will help people to get the best health outcomes from treatment programmes already agreed with their general practitioner and/or other health care professionals. Recent departmental documents such as Raising the profile of long term conditions carea compendium of information have highlighted such models of care as examples of innovative, forward-thinking initiatives that make a real difference.

Community Hospitals: Hospital Beds

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in community hospitals in each year since 2003; what proportion of funding of community hospitals is ring-fenced for the provision of beds; what assessment he has made of future levels of bed provision in community hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Information was collected for the first time in the 2006-07 Estates Returns Information Collection, which identified 6,246 overnight beds available in 229 community hospital sites that submitted returns.
	Hospital bed numbers are not driven centrally, but are determined by local needs.

Community Nurses

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the additional 30 million he has allocated to the Family Nurse Partnership pilots will be allocated, broken down by  (a) area and  (b) financial year;
	(2)  when his Department expects to have completed its evaluation of its Family Nurse Partnership pilots;
	(3)  in which areas the Family Nurse Partnership pilots are being held; and to which other areas the pilot scheme will be extended.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The comprehensive spending review 2007 contains the provision of 30 million to support the future expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership: 5 million in 2008-09, 10 million in 2009-10 and 15 million in 2010-11. It is not yet possible to indicate breakdown by areas.
	Evaluation of the pilot phase of the Family Nurse Partnership is expected to be completed in spring 2009.
	The Family Nurse Partnership Pilot Project is currently running on 10 sites in EnglandBarnsley, Derby City, County Durham and Darlington, Manchester, Slough, Somerset, south east Essex, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Walsall.
	The 2008-09 bidding round to increase the number of sites testing and delivering the Family Nurse Partnership intervention in England is currently underway. We expect to announce the results of this process by the end of March 2008.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the Care Quality Commission maintains at least the same frequency of visits to detained mental health patients as undertaken by the Mental Health Act Commission.

Ivan Lewis: The Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC) places great emphasis on its visiting programme, covering each hospital and each ward that accepts detained patients. The Care Quality Commission will take on the functions of the MHAC and we expect the Care Quality Commission to continue the good work of MHAC in safeguarding the rights of those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Dementia: Expenditure

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government funding was provided for medical research into dementia in each of the last five years; and what percentage of the health research budget this represented in each year.  [Official Report, 20 March 2008, Vol. 473, c. 9MC.]

Dawn Primarolo: The most recent information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on dementia research 
			   Department of Health  ( million)  Medical Research Council (MRC)  ( million)  Total  ( million)  Expenditure as a percentage of NHS research and development and MRC budgets 
			 2001-02 2.9 6.6 9.5 n/a 
			 2002-03 1.6 6.6 8.2 n/a 
			 2003-04 1.1 7.4 8.5 n/a 
			 2004-05 19 6.2 25.2 2.4 
			 2005-06 18.3 6.7 25 2.3 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	The Departmental figures for the years from 2001-02 to 2003-04 relate to national research programme expenditure. They do not include the part of the research and development allocations made annually at that time to NHS providers and spent on dementia research. Information was not collected prior to 2004-05.
	The national research network on dementia and neurodegenerative disease, funded by the Department's National Institute for Health Research, was launched in August 2006. Its first year costs are included in the Department's aggregate expenditure figure for 2005-06.

Doctors: Foreign Workers

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is actively recruiting international medical graduates and European doctors in shortage specialties.

Ann Keen: No. The Department is not actively recruiting migrant doctors to fill posts in shortage specialties.

Drugs: Misuse

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with  (a) alcohol,  (b) drug and  (c) gambling addictions by a GP in England in the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.
	However, the 'Alcohol Needs Assessment Research Project' (ANARP) provided a snapshot of general practitioner (GP) outcomes in 2003-04.
	ANARP showed that, of their patients, GPs identified one in 28 males and one in 20 females as alcohol dependent; and
	not all dependent drinkers visit their GP, so this statistic does not reflect on the level of dependency in the population as a whole, estimated by ANARP at 6 per cent., for males and 2 per cent., for females.

Family Practitioner Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects  (a) blood tests,  (b) electrocardiograms and  (c) ultrasound to be available on demand in GPs' surgeries;
	(2)  how much he has set aside in each financial year until 2010-11 to make  (a) blood tests,  (b) electrocardiograms and  (c) ultrasound available on demand in GP practices.

Ben Bradshaw: Many general practitioner surgeries already offer blood tests and electrocardiograms, and some offer ultrasounds and other diagnostic tests. Primary care trusts should decide locally the best setting to provide these services to meet the needs of their patients.
	As a result of the recent comprehensive spending review, the national health service will receive real terms increases of 4 per cent. per year over the next three years. This is significantly higher than the. long term trend, and will take NHS funding to around 110 billion by 2010-11.

Food: Consumption

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the recommended daily calorie intake for  (a) men and  (b) women; and what plans he has to review these recommendations.

Dawn Primarolo: In 1991, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) set estimated average requirements (EAR) for energy for the United Kingdom population. Currently, the EAR for adult men is set at around 2550kcal per day and for women it is set at around 1940kcal per day.
	The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), who replaced COMA in 2001 and advise Government on nutrition issues, is currently reviewing the energy requirements of the UK population. It is planned that the draft SACN report will go out for public consultation towards the end of the year.

Food: Labelling

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which consumers utilise the nutritional information panel on food packaging.

Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency has undertaken four research projects since 2001 which investigated how consumers use nutrition information provided on food labels. Copies of all reports are available on the agency's website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/researchandreports/
	and
	www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/signposting/signpostlabelresearch/.
	The agency's annual consumer attitudes survey tracks consumers' reported usage of nutrition information including fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt.

General Practitioners

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) assaults and  (b) incidents of verbal abuse of GPs which resulted in a patient being removed from a GP practice in each year since 2000, broken down by strategic health authority area.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of patients physically removed from general practitioner (GP) practices is not available.
	The Information Centre for health and social care collects figures on the numbers of patients removed from GP lists due to an act or threat of violence. This information for the years 1999-2000 to 2005-06 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 North East 60 56 49 62 37 58 50 
			 North West 234 242 269 332 213 207 267 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 152 150 127 182 128 112 135 
			 East Midlands 46 71 71 70 78 67 66 
			 West Midlands 70 76 118 146 86 74 84 
			 East of England 103 185 152 156 142 129 170 
			 London 169 240 320 222 176 239 224 
			 South East Coast 57 90 60 80 81 66 63 
			 South Central 38 68 67 59 61 52 39 
			 South West 59 70 88 75 79 97 92 
			 Total 988 1,248 1,321 1,384 1,081 1,101 1,190 
			  Note: 1999-2000 and 2000-01 regional data was supplied by health authorities that no longer exist. Figures for these years have been mapped to current strategic health authority areas.

General Practitioners: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many general practitioners are practising in Colchester constituency; and how many were practising in May 1997;
	(2)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest number of patients registered per general practitioner in (i) Colchester constituency and (ii) Essex was in (A) 1997 and (B) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Table 1 shows the number of general practitioners (GPs) in the North Essex Health Authority area as at 1 October 1997 (of which Colchester was a part) and in North East Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 30 September 2006 (of which Colchester is now a part). The figures listed do not include retainers and registrars.
	Table 2 shows the total number of practices, number of GPs, number of registered patients, average GP list size, average practice list size, largest practice list size and smallest practice list size as at 1 October 1997 and 30 September 2006 for the whole of Essex and the relevant authorities covering the Colchester constituency. The information is split between the former North Essex Health Authority (HA) (of which Colchester was part) and the current North East Essex PCT (of which Colchester is a part).
	Due to various mergers and demergers of health authorities and PCTs, the data are not comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Number of GPs at 1 October 1997  Number at 30 September 2006 
			 North Essex Health Authority 473 n/a 
			 North East Essex PCT n/a 181 
			 n/a = data not available  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Selected GP statistics for selected area as at 1997 and 2006 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   1997  2006 
			  Total Essex( 1)   
			 Total practices 284 267 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(2) 821 1,014 
			 Registered patients 1,603,543 1,700,408 
			 Average GP list size 1,953 1,677 
			 Average practice list size(3) 5,646 6,369 
			 Largest practice list size(3) 18,728 23,895 
			 Smallest practice list size(3) 308 410 
			
			  North Essex HA   
			 Total practices 138 n/a 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(2) 473 n/a 
			 Registered patients 877,555 n/a 
			 Average GP list size 1,855 n/a 
			 Average practice list size(3) 6,359 n/a 
			 Largest practice list size(3) 17,105 n/a 
			 Smallest practice list size(3) 308 n/a 
			
			  North East Essex primary care trust   
			 Total practices n/a 42 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(2) n/a 181 
			 Registered patients n/a 309,921 
			 Average GP list size n/a 1,712 
			 Average practice list size(3) n/a 7,379 
			 Largest practice list size(3) n/a 15,219 
			 Smallest practice list size(3) n/a 1,945 
			 n/a = data not available (1) Data presented for organisations in existence in the specified years covering Essex. (2) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP Providers and GP Others. (3) GP Census collects the number of patients who are registered to a practice rather than a specific GP, therefore it is not possible to ascertain individual GP list sizes.  Note: Data as at 1 October 1997, 30 September 2006.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

General Practitioners: Finance

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the level of funding provided to GPs to cover practice running costs changed in each year since 1996.

Ben Bradshaw: The total and change in the level of funding provided by Primary Care Organisations and their predecessor bodies (Health Authorities (HAs)) to general practice since 1996 is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Former  g eneral  p ractitioners  c ontract i ndependent  c ontractors  t otal  c ost 1996-97 to 2003-04 
			   million 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04 
			 Total spend 2,873 3,033 3,158 3,432 3,624 3,714 4,060 4,623 
			 Annual increase  160 125 274 192 90 346 563 
			 Cumulative increase  160 285 559 751 841 1,187 1,750 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: New GMS contract practice based total cost 2004-05 to 2006-07 
			   million 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total spend 6,957 7,734 7,757 
			 Annual increase 2,334 777 23 
			 Cumulative increase 4,084 4,861 4,884 
			  Notes: 1. 1996 to 2001-02 data taken from the 95 England health authorities based on GPs' total reported contract costs. From 2002-03 onwards all data is PCT based. 2. All former GP Contract 1996-97 to 2003-04 Independent Contractor spend includes both combined General Medical Services Discretionary and Non-Discretionary Spend and Personal Medical Services 3. 1996 to 2003-04 former GP contract data taken from the audited summarised NHS accounts of the 95 health authorities and subsequent 303 PCTs for England. 4. The new GP contract was introduced 2004 and is all discretionary only funded through PCTs unified allocations. 5. All spend (2004 to 2006-07) is now based on combined practice contracting routes of GMS, PMS APMS and PCTMS services 6. 2004-05 to 2006-07 Figures are based on the audited returns of the 303 to 152 reconfigured PCT audited returns to the NHS summarised accounts.

General Practitioners: Pay

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether GP practice support staff are paid in accordance with national pay scales; and what guidance his Department issues to GPs on remuneration for practice support staff.

Ben Bradshaw: General practitioners (GPs), as independent practitioners contracted to the national health service are able to determine the terms and conditions for the staff they employ. However, the expectation is that GP practices will ensure their employment standards comply with good human resources practice in line with Agenda for Change national pay scales/principles. Guidance on Agenda for Change for practice staff can be found on the DH website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Humanresourcesandtraining/Modernisingpay/Agendaforchange/DH_4123596

Health Checks: Adults

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of adults who will have preventative health check-ups in their GP's surgery in each of the next three years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the number of adults who receive preventative check-ups in general practitioner (GP) surgeries is not collected centrally.
	The Prime Minister announced on 7 January that proposals were under development for a vascular risk programme. This will include to estimate the amount of preventative work currently carried out by GP surgeries and the impact of the introduction of a vascular screening programme.

Health Services: Devon

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) hospital doctors,  (b) nurses,  (c) GPs,  (d) GP practice nurses,  (e) nurse practitioners,  (f) modern matrons,  (g) community matrons and (h) NHS managers were employed by the NHS in North Devon in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information requested is held at national health service trust level only.
	The following table shows the data held for Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT) and North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust which serve the North Devon area. 1997 data are only available for North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust. Latest available data are for 2006. Data are not available for Devon PCT prior to 2001 because this area was covered by North and East Devon Health Authority (HA) and South and West Devon HA. These figures are not comparable to the 2001 onwards structures.
	Over 1.33 million people were employed in the NHS in England as at September 2006. Between September 1997 and 2006 the total number of NHS staff increased by over 280,000 (27 per cent.); the number of doctors and hospital dentists employed in the NHS in England increased by 35,993 (40per cent.) to 125,612; the number of nurses employed in the NHS in England increased by 79,479 (25 per cent.) to 398,335; and the total number of qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff employed in the NHS in England increased by 38,200 (40 per cent.) to 134,498.
	We are now moving away from year-on-year growth in the NHS work force to more of a steady state where there is a closer match between demand and supply. The focus now is strengthening frontline capacity through increases in productivity and skill mix. In some cases, productivity gains may mean that fewer staff are needed to deliver the same service outcomes.
	
		
			  All qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, medical and dental staff( 1) , GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)( 2) , GP practice nurses and NHS managers in specified organisations, 1997 to 2006 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Devon Primary Care Trust   
			 All Doctors n/a n/a n/a n/a 490 510 538 571 590 639 
			  O f which:   
			 Medical and Dental staff(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 27 39 42 41 38 37 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a 463 471 496 530 552 602 
			
			 Qualified Nursing, Midwifery and Health visiting staff n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,045 1,353 1,355 1,431 1,482 1,542 
			  O f which:   
			 Modern Matrons n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6 3 
			 Community Matrons n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 
			
			 GP Practice Nurses n/a n/a n/a n/a 369 386 353 360 380 393 
			
			 Managers and senior managers n/a n/a n/a n/a 64 115 145 171 197 198 
			
			  North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust   
			 Medical and Dental staff(1) 118 133 132 132 170 132 139 163 182 187 
			
			 Qualified Nursing, Midwifery and Health visiting staff 760 832 785 792 468 511 583 603 571 560 
			  O f  which:   
			 Modern Matrons n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 
			 Community Matrons n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 
			
			 Managers and senior managers 24 20 22 24 22 24 25 32 35 42 
			 n/a= Not applicable (1) Excludes medical Hospital Practitioners and medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals (2) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP Providers and GP Others  Note : 1. On 1 October 2006 East Devon PCT, Exeter PCT, Mid Devon PCT, North Devon PCT, South Hams and West Devon PCT and Teignbridge PCT merged to form Devon PCT. Figures from 2001 to 2005 are an aggregate of these six predecessor organisations. Prior to 2001 this area was covered by North and East Devon HA and South and West Devon HA. These figures are not comparable to the 2001 onwards structures. 2. The number of Modern Matrons were not separately identifiable from the census data prior to 2005, and community matrons prior to 2006.  3. In 2001 there was a large drop in community nursing staff in North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, and a corresponding increase in the Devon PCT predecessor organisations. It is reasonable to assume that community services nurses migrated from North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust to these organisations. 4. More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9,858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total work force figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years' figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years' figures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent. of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full-time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census 2. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census 3. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Hepatitis

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department provided to the FaCe It campaign on hepatitis C in each year since 2004; what steps he has taken to promote the campaign to  (a) primary care trusts,  (b) acute trusts and  (c) strategic health authorities in England; how his Department has monitored the effectiveness of the campaign; and what recent meetings his Department has held with (i) patient groups, (ii) healthcare professionals, (iii) NHS bodies, (iv) community groups and (v) other stakeholders on developing the campaign.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested on funding provided by the Department for the FaCe It campaign is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  FaCe It campaign expenditure by financial year, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  Financial year  Expenditure (000 to the nearest 10,000) 
			 2003-04 150 
			 2004-05 690 
			 2005-06 1,280 
			 2006-07 1,900 
			 2007-08 (Forecast) 2,980 
			 Total 7,000 
		
	
	The FaCe It campaign has used a range of communication methods to promote awareness of hepatitis C to health care professionals, including:
	information packs for health care professionals including guidance on testing for hepatitis C;
	a quick reference guide on hepatitis C for primary care;
	a new NHS hepatitis C website, including a section for health care professionals;
	features in health care professional journals;
	exhibition stands at conferences for health care professionals; and
	meetings with local health care professionals and other stakeholders, as part of a regional hepatitis C awareness event that has visited about 30 cities in England.
	A range of methods are being used to assess the effectiveness of the campaign, including:
	epidemiological surveillance of hepatitis C testing and diagnosis by the Health Protection Agency (HPA);
	research into levels of awareness and related issued among health care professionals and the public;
	number of visits to the campaign website;
	number of calls to the Hepatitis C Information Line; and
	extent of media coverage.
	Departmental officials or the FaCe It campaign team at Munro and Forster, which is acting for the Department, have held a range of meetings with stakeholders since January 2007 including:
	 Patient groups
	British Liver Trust
	Hepatitis C Trust
	Mainliners Hepatitis C Resource Centre
	National Hepatitis C Network
	 Health care professionals and national health service bodies
	regional and local stakeholders in Barnsley, Bradford, Colchester, Dudley, Exeter, Ipswich, Isle of Wight, Maidstone, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, and Oxford(1).
	Royal College of General Practitioners
	Royal College of Nursing
	 Community groups
	Association of the British Hujjaj UK
	South Asian Health Foundation
	 Other stakeholders
	HPA
	National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
	(1) These meetings may have included representation from local voluntary and community groups.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2230W, on hospitals: waiting lists, what social reasons may be used for suspending patients from the Korner waiting list.

Ben Bradshaw: Patients may be suspended from an in-patient waiting list for two reasons
	they are medically unfit for treatment; and
	they are unavailable for admission for a specified period of time (also known as a social suspension).
	Social suspensions can be made for a variety of reasons, where the patient indicates they are unavailable for admission. These can include
	work commitments (e.g. patient too busy at work to have operation);
	holidays (e.g. patient wants to wait until after they return from holiday); and
	family commitments (e.g. caring for relative, need to arrange child care).
	In such cases, patients can be suspended from the waiting list for the period of time they are unavailable, after which they return to the list at the point they left it.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority: Inspections

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports of occurrences inconsistent with routine patient care were made to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority by Professor Alison Murdoch in each year of her tenure as an inspector; and how many serious incidents were reported to the Authority.

Dawn Primarolo: The definition of the type of incident that would be considered to be serious and, therefore, likely to be inconsistent with routine treatment, was introduced on 5 July 2007 when the 7th edition of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) code of practice was published. The HFEA has advised me that, in accordance with its policy to encourage licensed clinics to reports incidents, including those occurrences that would be considered to be near misses, it does not disclose the names of clinics that have reported an adverse incident nor the number of incidents reported by a particular clinic.
	The HFEA introduced its incident alert reporting system in 2003, requiring licensed establishments to report any adverse incident relating to treatment services that is potentially harmful or actually causes harm to any person, embryos, gametes or staff. The number of incidents handled has been included each year in the HFEA's annual report:
	
		
			  HFEA incident alert system: number of incidences handled since 2002-03( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 65 
			 2003-04 79 
			 2004-05 71 
			 2005-06 97 
			 2006-07(2) 224 
			 (1) Numbers cover all licensed clinics that have submitted a report. (2 )The most recent year for which a report has been published.  Source:  HFEA annual reports 2003-04 to 2006-07. 
		
	
	HFEA has worked with clinics to encourage greater reporting, including lower risk incidents and events that are categorised as near misses. This is to ensure that that lessons learned from such events can be circulated to other clinics, so avoiding a repeat elsewhere in the sector. The HFEA attributes the increase, from 97 incidents in 2005-06 to 224 in 2006-07, to more comprehensive reporting by clinics.

Local Involvement Networks

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to promote the involvement of patients and the public in monitoring the effectiveness of services provided for the NHS by the  (a) third and  (b) private sector;
	(2)  if he will ensure that the Local Involvement Network Regulations 2008 include provisions requiring private sector providers of health and social care to allow members of local involvement networks to enter their premises for the purpose of monitoring the quality of health and social care.

Ann Keen: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 set out important new arrangements for the involvement of patients and the public in health and social care, including local involvement networks (LINks). LINks will enable local people to monitor local services irrespective of who provides them.
	LINks will build on the work of voluntary and community sector groups and enable genuine involvement of a far greater number of people than is currently available, ensuring local communities have a stronger voice in the process of commissioning health and social care and enabling them to influence key decisions about the services they both use and pay for.
	In order to ensure that independent sector providersbe they from the private or third-sectorcooperate with LINks, we will make directions requiring primary care trusts and local authorities to ensure that their contracts with the independent and third sectors allow LINks entry to appropriate premises and access to appropriate information. This will ensure that LINks will have the same levels of access as they do in the public sector.
	These changes are aimed at promoting open and transparent communication between communities and the health service, and will develop trust and confidence, increasing accountability to local people.

Local Involvement Networks

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure members of local involvement networks (LINKs) are indemnified by his Department in relation to activities undertaken on behalf of a LINk in good faith.

Ann Keen: It will be for local authorities to determine their own policies regarding local involvement networks (LINks) and indemnity. Authorities may choose to indemnify certain LINks members directly or stipulate that host organisations must make arrangements to do so as part of their LINks contracts.

Local Involvement Networks

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure members of local involvement networks are paid appropriate expenses by the host.

Ann Keen: It will be for each local involvement network (LINk) to determine its own policy regarding payment and reimbursement. However, we will remind LINks and host organisations that the Department's 'Reward and Recognition' document, provides a useful guide for service providers, users and carers on the principles and practice of service user payment and reimbursement in health and social care.
	A copy of the document is available in the Library and also on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4138523

Local Involvement Networks

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that local involvement networks are provided with funds to establish regional and national networks and the means to monitor effectively  (a) cancer,  (b) mental health,  (c) ambulance and  (d) other services commissioned on a (i) regional and (ii) national basis.

Ann Keen: While local involvement networks (LINks) will be independent and will have the power to develop their own priorities and agendas, they will need to develop relationships with a number of stakeholders to fulfil their statutory role effectively. In certain circumstances, LINks may want to work in partnership to monitor services provided by, for example, cancer networks, mental health services, ambulance trusts or other services commissioned across more than one Local Authority boundary. LINks may also wish to work together in regional groups, or even nationally to share experience and findings. There is nothing to prevent LINks using some of their funding to establish local, regional or national networks if they so wish.

Magnetic Resonance Imagers

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners there were in the NHS in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 1997.

Ann Keen: At the end of December 1997, there were 110 MRI scanners in the national health service in England. By December 2007, this had increased to 285.

Maternity Services

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to provide more flexible maternity services for women, including  (a) one-to-one support from pregnancy through to birth and  (b) improving the quality of post-natal care.

Ann Keen: In April 2007, we published Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service, which outlines a national framework for the local delivery of high quality, safe and accessible services that are both women-focused and family centred. This document introduces four national choice guarantees for women around access, antenatal care, place of birth and post-natal care. It also says that every woman will be supported by a midwife that she knows and trusts throughout her pregnancy and afterwards. It highlights how commissioners, providers and maternity professionals can shape provision to meet the needs of women and their families and includes a self-assessment tool for commissioners to identify the needs of their population. That tool will help primary care trusts and national health service trusts respectively to commission and to provide the services that the women in its catchment area need.

Midwives: Greater London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives are employed by  (a) Barnet Primary Care Trust,  (b) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust and  (c) the Royal Free Hospital; how many midwifery vacancies there are in each organisation; and if he will make a statement on progress on recruitment to fill such vacancies.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows the number of midwives employed and national health service three month vacancies at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS Trust and Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust. The table shows the latest information available for the number of midwives employed (September 2006) and the number of vacancies (March 2007).
	NHS London has advised that Barnet Primary Care Trust does not employ any midwives as midwifery services are provided from the acute trusts.
	Progress on recruitment to fill vacancies is a matter for local determination as local workforce planners are best placed to assess the healthcare needs of their local population.
	However, we have been informed by NHS London that Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust ran a successful recruitment campaign for additional midwives in October 2007. The first new midwives commenced work in November 2007.
	We have been further informed that the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust is currently running a recruitment campaign for midwives. If further midwifery cover is needed, the trust has an escalation policy where it can relocate midwives from other parts of the service and can also use its in-house bank staff.
	
		
			  NHS three month vacancies in each specified organisation for qualified midwifery staff: Three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff 
			   March 2007  September 2006 
			   Three month vacancy rate ( percentage )  Three month vacancy number  Staff in post  ( full - time equivalent )  Staff in post  (h eadcount ) 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 181 243 
			 Barnet PCT 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 1.9 2 101 131 
			  Notes:  1. Vacancy data is from the vacancies survey 2007.  2. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2007.  3. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents).  4. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.  5. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the non-medical workforce census September 2006.  6. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.  7. Staff in post data is from the non-medical workforce census September 2006.  8. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.  9. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates. Strategic health authority figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare.   Sources:  The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. The Information Centre for health and social care Vacancies Survey, March 2007.

NHS Treatment Centres

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to announce a strategy on the future funding of NHS walk-in centres; whether in preparing that strategy he will consider the potential for walk-in centres to be funded by  (a) the NHS,  (b) local authorities and  (c) others; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 31 January 2008
	The Department continues to look at options for future funding of community based walk-in services. Any proposals to change current arrangements where services are commissioned by national health service primary care trusts and funded from their main allocations will be considered as part of the Primary and Community Strategy and Next Stage Review.

NHS: Expenditure

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent per head of the population on health provision  (a) in Wiltshire,  (b) in Hampshire,  (c) in Northumberland,  (d) in London,  (e) in Gloucestershire and  (f) in Oxfordshire in each of the last five years; and what will be spent in each area in each of the next five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested because national health service expenditure is not collected on the basis of counties. However, the total expenditure per head of population within relevant strategic health authority (SHA) areas is contained in the following table. The table goes up only to 2006-07 as the Department does not hold these figures for future years.
	
		
			   per head 
			  SHA area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 North East 1,090.03 1,198.01 1,345.02 1,464.42 1,556.50 
			 London 1,186.77 1,315.78 1,441.33 1,531.01 1,537.80 
			 South Central 821.71 987.84 1,103.16 1,168.58 1,211.26 
			 South West 908.44 1,048.08 1,166.40 1,267.68 1,306.85 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure by SHA area is taken as the total expenditure of the SHA and of PCTs within the SHA area. 2.Expenditure shown does not include all NHS expenditure within the area. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded from the figures. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts. 3. Figures for Wiltshire and Gloucestershire are contained within those shown for the South West SHA area, Hampshire and Oxfordshire within the South Central SHA area, and Northumberland within the North East SHA area.  Sources: 1. Audited SHA summarisation forms 2002-03 to 2006-07 2. Audited primary care trust (PCT) summarisation schedules 2002-03 to 2006-07 3. Office of National Statistics unweighted population figures

NHS: Finance

John Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the market forces factor for NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) continually oversees the development of the weighted capitation formula. ACRA's current work programme includes a review of the market forces factor (MFF). The review of the MFF will also inform the MFF adjustments made to providers of national health service services paid for through the national tariff.
	Only when this work programme is completed will ACRA finalise its recommendations to Ministers on potential changes to the funding formula. Ministers will then look at all of ACRA's recommendations and decide how to take these recommendations into account when making allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	We will inform providers and PCTs of the changes to the formula and the revenue allocations as soon as is practically possible after the completion of ACRA's work programme. The aim is to announce revenue allocations to PCTs for 2009-10 and 2010-11 by the summer 2008. The MFF indices applied to providers of NHS services paid for by the national tariff were published on the Department's website on 13 December 2007 as part of the national tariff package for 2008-09 which is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Organisationpolicy/Financeandplanning/NHSFinancialReforms/DH_081238

NHS: Finance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what formula is used to determine the market forces factor.

Ben Bradshaw: A detailed technical breakdown of how the market forces factor is generated can be found in 'Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula (Fifth edition)'. A copy of this document is available in the Library and also on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4112065

NHS: Fire Prevention

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS organisations failed fire risk assessments in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: National health service organisations are required to comply with fire safety legislation as set out in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which came into effect on 1 October 2006. As part of full compliance with these regulations, it is a requirement that a fire risk assessment is undertaken. In their Annual Statement of Fire Safety, the most recently available of which covers the year to 31 December 2006, five NHS organisations stated that they had enforcement action taken against them by their local fire authorities for failing to provide a proper fire risk assessment within the terms of the legislation.
	The NHS organisations in question were:
	Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust;
	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
	Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust;
	Liverpool Primary Care Trust; and
	Redbridge Primary Care Trust.
	Information on the number of NHS organisations failing to undertake fire risk assessments in the four-year period prior to 2006 was not collected centrally.

NHS: Older Workers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age was of  (a) GPs,  (b) consultants,  (c) nurses and  (d) midwives in the most recent period for which figures are available; and how many from each group he expects to retire in the next 10 years.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the average age of general practitioners (GPs), consultants, nurses and midwives.
	
		
			   Average age 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 46 
			 Medical and Dental consultants 47 
			 Qualified nursing staff (excluding midwives) 44 
			 Qualified midwives 42 
			 (1) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP providers and GP others.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics. The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical work force census. 
		
	
	Under age discrimination legislation there is a default retirement age of 65 but many national health service organisations do not set a retirement age. Most NHS staff including GPs and consultants have a normal pension age of 60 but the average age at which this group take their pension on age grounds is nearly 63. Nurses and midwives who were members of the NHS pension scheme before 1995 have a normal pension age of 55 but an average retirement age on age grounds of 59.

NHS: Public Participation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to increase the budget for local involvement networks to reflect the increased number of activities undertaken by such networks; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department received an allocation of 84 million over three years from HM Treasury to fund the establishment and costs incurred by local involvement networks and has no plans to bid for any further funds. The allocations to local authorities (LAs) were based on two elements used in many similar cases to take account of key geographical factors such as deprivation, sparsity, area costs, etc. The first was a general baseline payment of 60,000 awarded to each local authority. The second was calculated according to the Relative Needs Formula, which is used to allocate funding to LAs in other areas of work.

NHS: Reorganisation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the Darzi reviews of the NHS are informed by patient and public involvement;
	(2)  if he will meet members of the National Association of Patients' Forums to discuss effective patient and public involvement in his reviews of the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The national health service Our NHS, our future Next Stage Review is primarily a local process. Eight clinical pathway groups in each strategic health authority (SHA) region are considering how to improve models of care across eight pathways from maternity and newborn care to end of life care. Local events are being held to ensure that the views and experiences of the public and patients inform the thinking of each clinical working group.
	Nationally, a second nationwide day of consultative events was held on 24 January 2008 to test the emerging findings of the clinical pathway groups with around 1,000 staff, patients and the public across the regions. The findings from the consultation events will contribute to each SHA's vision for healthcare due to be published in the spring.
	An online questionnaire has also been launched to capture the views of patients and the public. This is available on the review's website:
	www.nhs.uk/ournhs.
	With the establishment of Local Involvement Networks (LINks) in England from April 2008, there will be a strengthened voice for local communities. The Next Stage Review will work closely with the local networks as a key stakeholder and vehicle for engagement at a local level.
	Officials responsible for the policy on LINks recently met with the chair and other representatives of the National Association of Patients' Forums to discuss LINk regulations which are due to be published in the spring.

Non-Ionizing Radiation: Health Hazards

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has commissioned on the effects of non-ionising radiation on health.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has commissioned, either directly or through the Health Protection Agency, research on the effects of non-ionising radiation in the following areas:
	exposure to radiofrequency fields including mobile telephones, terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) and WiFi;
	studies to examine the potential cellular and behavioural effects of radio frequency fields;
	measurement of exposures to power frequency fields for population studies of the health effects of power frequency exposures including the United Kingdom childhood cancer study and UK adult brain tumour study;
	laboratory studies of the effects of power frequency fields on cells;
	development of realistic three dimensional (voxel) models for male, female, and pregnant female, to allow assessment of exposures from electromagnetic field sources at various frequencies;
	real-time measurement of ambient levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation throughout the UK;
	studies to examine the effects of different frequencies of UV light on melanocytes and melanoma cells;
	measurement of the protection afforded by clothing, shade structures, and UV protective gloves;
	assessment of emissions and safety of products such as lasers, compact fluorescent light bulbs, projects for interactive whiteboards and other consumer products;
	the Department's Radiation Protection Research (RPR) programme includes both ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation research at power frequencies and intermediate frequencies. Information on the current RPR programme research strategy and research projects can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_082096;
	the independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, was set up in 2001 in response to a recommendation in the Stewart report (the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (www.iegmp.org.uk). MTHR has supported a number of studies into the possible health effects of radiofrequency technology relating both to base stations and hand-held mobile telephones. The MTHR programme published its first report in September 2007 www.mthr.org.uk. None of the 23 individual studies funded under this programme to date demonstrates that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones or base stations; and
	the Department additionally has provided an annual contribution to the World Health Organisation International (WHO) Electromagnetic Fields Project since its inception in 1996. Information on this project can be found on the WHO website at:
	www.who.int/peh-emf/project/en/

Northwick Park Hospital: Standards

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made with implementing plans to modernise Northwick Park Hospital.

Ben Bradshaw: The local national health service is responsible for the provision of services at Northwick Park hospital.
	However, we have been informed by NHS London that proposals for the future of services across North West London, including Northwick Park hospital, are currently under review in the light of the London wide review of services (Healthcare for London) and the North West London review of services, which is being led by local primary care trusts.

Obesity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the 372 million funding announced for promoting the achievement and maintenance of healthy weight over the period 2008 to 2011 will be spent, broken down by  (a) programme and  (b) financial year;
	(2)  how much funding he has allocated per annum for the annual assessment of progress on policies to reduce obesity.

Dawn Primarolo: The total amount of funding that is being made available for the obesity programme is broken down over the next three years as 94 million for 2008-09, 123 million for 2009-10 and 155 million for 2010-11. Some of this money is for central programmes, and we have already announced that 30 million is being used for the Healthy Community Challenge fund and 75 million for marketing both over 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. The exact breakdown of funding for other central programmes has yet to be agreed.
	In addition, a large proportion of funding will go directly to primary care trusts (PCTs) as part of their general allocations. General PCT allocations are not broken down by programme. It will be for the national health service to decide locally how best to deliver the outcomes of the Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A cross-Government Strategy for England, published January 2008, in line with their local circumstances, including the level of resources required to do so.
	Also, the exact cost for annually assessing the progress of policies to reduce obesity has yet to be determined. It will, however, be met from within the overall 372 million we have made available for the programme.

Obesity: Children

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) four to five and  (b) 10 to 11-year-olds were (i) overweight and (ii) obese in each year since 2005, broken down by sex, as measured by the National Child Measurement Programme.

Dawn Primarolo: No data for 2006-07 are available until the latest National Child Measurement Programme report is published at the end of February 2008.
	The results for 2005-06 are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children in Year R, by sex, England, 2005-06 
			Overweight  Obese  Overweight and obese combined 
			   Total number of children measured  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1) 
			 Female 145,200 17,800 12.3 (12.1-12.4) 13,300 92 (9.0-9.3) 31,100 21.4 (21.2-21.6) 
			 Male 152,400 20,400 13.4 (13.2-13.6) 16,400 10.7 (10.6-10.9) 36,800 24.1 (23.9-24.3) 
			 Both sexes combined 297,600 38,200 12.8 (12.7-13.0) 29,700 10.0 (9.9-10.1) 67,900 22.8 (22.7-23.0) 
			 (1) 95 per cent. confidence intervals are shown in brackets 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children in Year 6, by sex, England, 2005-06 
			Overweight  Obese  Overweight and obese combined 
			   Total number of children measured  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1) 
			 Female 115,400 15,900 13.8 (13.6-14.0) 17,800 15.4 (15.2-15.6) 33,700 29.2 (29.0-29.5) 
			 Male 125,400 17,300 13.8 (13.6-14.0) 23,800 18.9 (18.7-19.2) 41,100 32.7 (32.5-33.0) 
			 Both sexes combined 240,800 33,200 13.8 (13.7-13.9) 41,600 17.3 (17.1-17.4) 74,800 31.1 (30.9-31.2) 
			 (1) 95 per cent. confidence intervals are shown in brackets 
		
	
	Due to poor participation in 2005-06, the validity of these results is limited and they should be interpreted with caution. The best available information we have at the moment is from the Health Survey for England 2006, which showed the following for children aged 5 and 10 years.
	
		
			  Health survey for England 2006; Boys/girls aged 5/10, prevalence of overweight and obesity 
			   Percentage 
			  Boys aged 5  
			 Overweight 11.0 
			 Obese 19.0 
			   
			  Girls aged 5  
			 Overweight 13.0 
			 Obese 14.0 
			   
			  Boys aged 10  
			 Overweight 11.0 
			 Obese 21.0 
			  Girls aged 10  
			 Overweight 17.0 
			 Obese 18.0

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) income threshold and  (b) capital allowance is above which people are requested to pay prescription charges.

Dawn Primarolo: Anyone who is required to pay national health service prescription charges, in England, may make a claim for entitlement to free prescriptions under the NHS low income scheme.
	Anyone who has capital of more than 16,000 (or 21,500 if they live permanently in a care home) will not be eligible for free prescriptions under this scheme.
	The income threshold for entitlement to free prescriptions under this scheme will vary according to personal circumstances. Anyone whose capital is below the amounts set out may have their eligibility for free prescriptions calculated on the basis of a comparison between their income and their requirements. This calculation is based on income support provisions as set out in the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (as amended) and the National Health Service (Travel Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 2003 (as amended).
	Some people on a low income will be eligible for free prescriptions without having to make a separate claim under the NHS low income scheme. People receiving working tax credit, with a disability or severe disability element or with child tax credit, whose gross annual taxable income is 15,050 or less are not required to pay prescription charges. There is no upper capital threshold in this case. People receiving income support, income based jobseeker's allowance or pension credit guarantee credit (in respect of partners under 60) are also entitled to free prescriptions. The income and capital thresholds will be those appropriate to those benefits.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of the total prescription charge income came from pre-payment certificates in each of the last three financial years; and what the projected income is from that source in each of the next three financial years;
	(2)  how many people applied for a pre-payment certificate for a prescription in each of the last three financial years; and how many he expects to do so in the next three financial years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is given in the following table. Projections for the next three financial years are not available.
	
		
			  Pre-payment certificates (PPCs) for England 
			   Prescription charge income from PPC sales (000)  PPC income as a percentage of the total prescription charge income  PPC applications received ( T housand)( 1) 
			 2004-05 63,288 16 1,111 
			 2005-06 66,937 17 1,151 
			 2006-07 70,725 17 1,167 
			 (1) Information on the number of people applying for a PPC is not recorded. Individuals may apply for more than one PPC within a yearly period. Applications not resulting in the issue of a PPC are also included.  Source: Prescription Pricing Division of the Business Services Authority

Primary Care Trusts

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's definitions are of  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) tertiary health care; and what services are provided within each category of care.

Ben Bradshaw: There is no legal definition of 'primary care', 'secondary care' and 'tertiary care'. In general terms, 'primary care' describes community based health services that are usually the first, and often the only, point of contact that patients make with the health service. It covers services provided by family doctors (general practitioners), community pharmacists, optometrists, dentists, community and practice nurses, community therapists (such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists) and midwives. NHS Direct and NHS walk-in centres are also primary care services, as are paramedical services provided by ambulance trusts. 'Secondary care' refers to the range of outpatient and inpatient services provided through acute and mental health hospitals, and 'tertiary care' covers more specialised hospital-based services that are provided in a limited number of centres across the country. These tertiary services are usually accessed by referral from secondary care.

Public Participation

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people responded to each consultation conducted by his Department in the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Rickets

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diagnoses of rickets there were in  (a) England and  (b) each strategic health authority area in each year between 1997-98 and 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally.

Sexual Dysfunction: Drugs

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for men  (a) under and  (b) over 60 years of age were issued for anti-impotence preparations in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Dawn Primarolo: We have no information which links prescription items dispensed with either the sex or the age of the patient receiving them. However, in the case of anti-impotence preparations we can assume that all prescriptions issued are for males. Information gathered through the analysis of prescriptions issued free of charge allows some estimates to be made of prescriptions received by persons aged 60 and over.
	The main anti-impotence preparations are listed at paragraphs 7.4.5 (Drugs for erectile dysfunction) of the British National Formulary (BNF). Some of these drugs may have been prescribed for other conditions but it is not possible to determine how large a proportion. Similarly, drugs from other parts of the BNF or drugs not licensed for this condition, may have been prescribed. Again, it is not possible to determine the proportion of the use of these drugs.
	Estimates of the number of prescription items issued to all males, males aged 60 and over and those issued to males under 60 for each year between 2002 and 2006 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  BNF 7.4.5 drugs for erectile dysfunction, dispensed in the community, in England: source Prescription Cost Analysis data 
			   Males under 60  Males 60 and over  All males 
			   Number of items ( T housand)( 1)  Net ingredient cost (000)( 1)  Number of items ( T housand)( 1)  Net ingredient cost (000)( 1)  Number of items ( T housand)( 1)  Net ingredient cost (000)( 1) 
			 2002 584.3 18,815.64 476.2 15,284.90 1060.5 34,100.54 
			 2003 682.6 22,193.90 591.2 18,601.70 1273.8 40,795.60 
			 2004 757.8 24,449.55 707.0 22,672.00 1464.8 47,121.55 
			 2005 790.0 27,225.71 800.3 26,119.64 1590.4 53,345.35 
			 2006 826.8 28,777.47 873.8 29,269.12 1700.6 58,046.59 
			 (1) Estimated.

Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value was of each grant provided by his Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies to  (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council,  (b) Shropshire county council and  (c) Telford and the Wrekin borough council in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and what grants have been planned for 2008-09.

Ivan Lewis: No grants have been made from the Department to district councils (Shrewsbury or Atcham borough councils). A table showing the grants paid to Shropshire county council and Telford and Wrekin borough council in 2006-07 and for 2007-08 to 2008-09 is shown as follows. The local authorities were notified of these grants in LASSL(2006)1 and LASSL(DH)(2007)2.
	
		
			  Table of grants from the Department to Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin 
			   million 
			   Shropshire  Telford and Wrekin 
			  Grant  2006-07  2007-08  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Access and Capacity 3.262 3.306 1.535 1.521 
			 Child and adolescent mental health services 0.263 0.268 0.262 0.267 
			 Carers 0.938 0.950 0.554 0.569 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 0.004 0.004 0.002 0.002 
			 Delayed Discharges 0.601 0.610 0.276 0.279 
			 Human Resource Development Strategy 0.221 0.223 0.142 0.147 
			 Improving Management Information 0.131 0.132 0.099 0.101 
			 Mental Health 0.565 0.577 0.333 0.390 
			 National Training Strategy 0.477 0.482 0.307 0.318 
			 Preserved Rights 1.628 1.502 0.287 0.268 
			 Preventative Technology 0.182 0.307 0.083 0.140 
			 Training (1) 0.023,546 (1) 0.013,785 
			 Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (1) 0.035,387 (1) 0.020,717 
			 Mental Health Act General (1) 0.020,688 (1) 0.012,111 
			 Total 8.272,000 8.440,621 3.880,000 4.048613 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			  Grant  Shropshire  Telford and Wrekin 
			  2008-09   
			 Social care reform grant (ring fenced) 0.468 0.259 
			 Contribution to area based grant 4.762 2.586 
			 Total 5.230 2.845 
			
			  2009-10   
			 Social care reform grant (ring fenced) 1.106 0.613 
			 Contribution to area based grant 4.963 2.717 
			 Total 5.799 3.330 
			 (1) Denotes grant did not exist

Smoking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to initiate a warning on tobacco products that smoking can cause blindness.

Dawn Primarolo: There are currently no plans to initiate a warning on tobacco products that smoking can cause blindness.

Social Services: Complaints

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to review the need for an independent complaints body for social care.

Ivan Lewis: For social care services arranged through local authorities, there is recourse to the local authority social services complaints procedure and to independent review by the Local Government Ombudsman.
	The Department's recent consultation, Making Experiences Count, which set out proposals for a single, comprehensive complaints process across health and social care, made no proposals to change the arrangements relating to the Local Government Ombudsman. The Department's response to the consultation will be published shortly.
	We are also considering the particular issue of the independent resolution of complaints by people who arrange and finance their own social care services.

Surgery

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancelled  (a) operations and  (b) other appointments in NHS hospitals there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Department collects information on the number of operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons. Data for 2005-06 to 2007-08 are shown in the following table.
	The Government's cancelled operations policy introduced in April 2002 provides an incentive for hospitals to avoid cancellations by giving patients the right to move to the hospital of their choice if they are not treated within 28 days. Since this came into force the number of patients cancelled at the last minute, has fallen from 1.5 per cent. to 0.8 per cent. of elective activity.
	
		
			  Number of operations cancelled at the last minute in each quarter 
			  Quarter ending  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 June 15,690 12,548 12,492 
			 September 13,058 12,259 12,489 
			 December 14,819 12,600  
			 March 17,236 14,598  
			 Total 60,803 52,005 24,981 
			  Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO

Tobacco

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will amend the code of practice governing the sale of cigarettes from vending machines to ensure that only those aged over 18 are able to buy cigarettes from such machines.

Dawn Primarolo: Vending machines are a source of tobacco for many children and young people. The Department has undertaken in the Cancer Reform Strategy, published in December 2007, to consult on the next steps of tobacco control and the further regulation of tobacco products, including access to tobacco from vending machines. This consultation will take place in spring 2008.
	No action on vending machines is planned until the consultation has been completed.

Treatment Centres

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of  (a) the procurement process and  (b) any compensation payments to relevant parties for those phase 2 independent sector treatment centres which will now not proceed.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 7 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 107-8W.

Waiting Lists: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for an operation in each London borough at the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps the Government plan to take to reduce these figures in 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: Information about the number of people waiting for an operation is collected at trust level and the information provided for the 31 primary care trusts (PCTs) in London is shown in the following table. The latest figures available are for people waiting as at the end of November 2007.
	Today waiting times are at a record low; patients can expect a maximum 13 week wait for their first out-patient appointment and a maximum six month wait for an operation.
	Latest data show that over half of admitted patients (patients who require admission to hospital for treatment) and over three quarters of non-admitted patients are treated within 18 weeks.
	
		
			  Primary care trust  Total waiting 
			 Havering PCT 3,654 
			 Kingston PCT 1,987 
			 Bromley PCT 3,579 
			 Greenwich PCT 2,807 
			 Barnet PCT 3,586 
			 Hillingdon PCT 3,138 
			 Enfield PCT 3,143 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 2,504 
			 City and Hackney PCT 1,651 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 2,664 
			 Newham PCT 2,472 
			 Haringey PCT 2,597 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 1,182 
			 Ealing PCT 3,995 
			 Hounslow PCT 2,312 
			 Brent PCT 3,293 
			 Harrow PCT 2,119 
			 Camden PCT 2,309 
			 Islington PCT 2,487 
			 Croydon PCT 4,126 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 1,420 
			 Westminster PCT 2,247 
			 Lambeth PCT 2,860 
			 Southwark PCT 2,681 
			 Lewisham PCT 2,780 
			 Wandsworth PCT 2,310 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 1,766 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 4,268 
			 Redbridge PCT 2,883 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 2,600 
			 Bexley Care Trust 2,047 
			   
			 London strategic health authority total 83,467 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to patients within PCTs in London. 2. Figures by London borough are not available. Source: Department of Health MMRCOMM

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of all single farm payments due had been made by 1 January 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 29 January 2008
	As of 31 December 2007, 47 per cent. of all full single payment scheme payments have been made for the 2007 scheme year.

Air Pollution: South East

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what air quality management areas there are in the south-east region of England, broken down by  (a) location and  (b) year of designation.

Jonathan R Shaw: To date, around 229 local authorities have designated air quality management areas in the UK. 40 of the authorities are in the south-east region of England which are listed in the following table.
	Further information is available on the UK National Air Quality Archive website operated on behalf of DEFRA.
	
		
			  No.  Authority  Date of AQMA declaration 
			 1. Adur district council 1 December 2005 
			 2. Aylesbury Vale DC 4 July 2005 
			 3. Brighton and Hove City 8 December 2004 
			 4. Canterbury city council 2 May 2006 
			 5. Chichester DC 24 August 2006 and 17 May 2007 
			 6. Dartford borough council 1 October 2001 and 23 November 2006 
			 7. Dover district council 20 June 2002, 15 October 2004, 12 November 2007 and 20 December 2007 
			 8. Eastleigh borough council 16 February 2005 and 3 July2006 
			 9. Elmbridge BC 17 June 2005 
			 10. Epsom and Ewell BC 12 July 2007 
			 11. Fareham borough council 1 April 2006 and 1 December 2007 
			 12. Gravesham BC 1 January 2002 and 1 April 2005 
			 13. Hastings borough council 8 December 2003 
			 14. Lewes district council 30 June 2005 
			 15. Maidstone BC 1 August 2001 and 1 January 2005 
			 16. Medway council 14 January 2002 
			 17. New Forest DC 6 June 2005 and 13 December 2005 
			 18. Oxford city council 1 September 2001 and 13 May 2005 
			 19. Portsmouth city council 11 April 2005 
			 20. Reading BC 26 September 2006 
			 21. Reigate and Banstead BC 23 December 2003, 15 July 2005, 24 May 2006 and 10 January 2007 and 5 November 2007 
			 22. Runnymede BC 4 December 2001 
			 23. Rushmoor BC 11 November 2004 
			 24. Sevenoaks DC 1 March 2002, 30 September 2005 and 5 September 2006 
			 25. Slough borough council 23 June 2005 
			 26. Southampton city council 22 August 2005 
			 27. South Bucks DC 1 October 2004 
			 28. South Oxfordshire DC 1 January 2003 and 28 March 2006 
			 29. Spelthorne BC 1 December 2000 
			 30. Surrey Heath DC 1 April 2002 
			 31. Thanet district council 23 March 2006 
			 32. Tonbridge and Mailing BC 1 May 2001 and 1 June 2005 
			 33. Tunbridge Wells BC 1 November 2005 
			 34. Vale of White Horse DC 23 August 2006 
			 35. Waverley BC 16 May 2005 and 23 August 2007 
			 36. West Oxfordshire DC 1 March 2005 
			 37. Winchester city council 14 November 2003 
			 38. Windsor and Maidenhead RB 1 April 2005 
			 39. Wokingham DC 28 September 2001 and 7 May 2004 
			 40. Wycombe DC 1 August 2001

Alcoholic Drinks

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the future of cider brandy production;
	(2)  pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 22 January 2007, on the outcome of the December 2007 Agriculture and Fisheries Council, what steps are being taken to resolve the technical problem resulting from the omission of the term cider brandy; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  for what reason cider brandy was omitted from the product descriptions in the European Regulation on the definition, description and labelling of spirit drinks; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reasons he voted in favour of the regulation on the definition, description and labelling of spirit drinks at the December 2007 Agriculture and Fisheries Council; how the representatives of other governments voted; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: A number of wine producing member states objected to the term cider brandy being included in the regulation. When the issue was originally raised by one of the cider brandy producers the European Parliament and Council had already agreed a first reading deal. The European Commission made it clear that it would not be possible to re-open the agreed text at such a late stage in the legislative process.
	At the December 2007 Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the Council adopted by qualified majority a regulation on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks. I voted in favour of this regulation but drew attention to the need to resolve the problem resulting from the omission of the term cider brandy from permitted product descriptions in the new regulation. We understand that the industry met with the European Commission at the end of last year and were informed that this issue may be resolved by applying for geographical indication status for cider brandy. We will be pursuing the workability of this solution with the Commission shortly.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to report to the House on the feasibility study on ending the use of non-domesticated animals in travelling circuses.

Jonathan R Shaw: Officials are considering the feasibility of introducing secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to promote the welfare of wild animals involved in acts. As part of this work, we are currently preparing an impact assessment, looking into the regulation of wild animals in circuses, which should be ready in early spring. I shall inform parliamentary colleagues of the conclusions that were reached.

Animal Welfare: Genetic Engineering

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the European Food Standards Agency's draft scientific opinions relating to  (a) animal health and welfare and  (b) the environmental impact of cloned animals, their offspring and the products obtained from them; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government welcome the European Food Safety Authority's draft opinion as a useful contribution to the debate on cloning.
	The draft report recognises the complexity of the issue and that further studies are needed to monitor the health and welfare of cloned animals during their lifespan.
	We agree with the opinion that there is no expectation nor information to suggest that cloned animals or their progeny pose any new or greater risks compared to conventionally bred animals.

Animal Welfare: Religion

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued on the slaughter, on grounds of welfare and animal health, of animals living in religious communities which regard such animals as sacred; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 4 February 2008
	No formal guidance has been issued. However, I fully recognise the importance of respecting different beliefs and points of view and working at accommodating these within the law.
	The Animal Welfare Act 2006 places a formal duty on animal keepers to care for their animalsthey must not allow them to suffer unnecessary pain and distress. If an animal is suffering unnecessarily, the law allows for a veterinary surgeon to euthanize that animal in the best interests of its welfare.
	Animal health legislation also provides for certain actions to be taken for disease control purposes.
	Officials are careful to explain their actions when humane destruction or other action is proposed. Ultimately, however, the law must be enforced to control disease and/or prevent an animal from suffering. Where agreement cannot be reached through consultation, a court will usually be invited to approve enforcement action.
	My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment (Hilary Benn), will shortly be holding a meeting to discuss how we take into account the views of religious communities while upholding the requirements of animal health and welfare legislation.

Badgers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of trends in the numbers of badgers in the UK over the last 10 years; how many badger culls have taken place in this period; and what steps he is taking to protect badgers in Leicestershire.

Joan Ruddock: Surveys of badger populations in Great Britain were undertaken in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. In the mid-1980s the badger population was estimated to be 250,000 badgers and in the mid-1990s a survey estimated the population had increased by 77 per cent.
	Between November 2005 and December 2006 research was undertaken on behalf of DEFRA to provide a baseline index of population densities of badgers in selected regions of England. These indices will serve as a baseline against which any future changes in population densities can be assessed.
	Other than the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, which looked at the role badgers play in bovine TB in cattle, no culls have taken place since 1998.
	Badgers and their setts, including those in Leicestershire, are protected under the provisions of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.

Beef: Imports

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response he has made to the EU Commission report on the tracing of Brazilian beef imports; and what assessment he has made of the traceability of such imports into the UK.

Jonathan R Shaw: The UK supports the European Commission in taking action to address some long-running concerns about beef production in Brazil.
	Controls are in place to ensure that all meat imported from third countries must be accompanied by veterinary certification. This must confirm that the meat is derived from animals that have been subjected to a veterinary inspection during the 24 hours prior to slaughter and showed no signs of FMD. As a further precaution, EU import rules require that all meat imported from Brazil be deboned and matured, a process which produces an acid change which inactivates any FMD virus present.
	All meat imported into the EU from third countries must enter at designated Border Inspection Posts where checks are carried out to ensure import conditions have been met. All consignments are subjected to identity and documentary checks and at least 20 per cent. of consignments undergo a physical check.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of the bluetongue variant 8 (BTV8) vaccine is to farmers per dose;

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether he intends to apply to the European Commission for an emergency vaccination programme for bluetongue disease; and how he plans to provide for the remaining costs of such a programme;
	(2)  when he expects to announce his strategy for the procurement and use of a vaccine for bluetongue disease;
	(3)  what proportion of costs he plans to allocate to livestock owners for development of a vaccine for bluetongue disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 31 January 2008
	On 19 December, DEFRA announced that it is placing an order with the pharmaceutical company Intervet to supply 22.5 million doses of bluetongue serotype 8 (BTV-8) vaccine, with 20 million doses reserved for England, and 2.5 million for potential use in Wales. The UK was the first member state in northern Europe affected by the current outbreak of BTV-8 to place an order for vaccine, and Intervet has indicated that vaccine is expected to become available for use from May.
	In keeping with the principles set out in the UK bluetongue control strategy, which was developed in partnership with the farming industry, livestock keepers in the protection zone will be able to purchase doses from the vaccine bank. It is expected that purchasing vaccine will make economic sense for livestock keepers as the cost of purchasing and delivering vaccine is significantly outweighed by the potential costs of the impact of disease.
	We are working urgently with Intervet and veterinary wholesalers to finalise the cost of vaccine to farmers. However, it is important to note that the vaccination process may also entail additional costs such as veterinary administration or supervision of vaccination, identification and, potentially, pre-movement testing. Individual livestock keepers, who will benefit directly from the vaccination of their stock, will be responsible for meeting these costs. The extent of these costs will be established through a vaccination plan being developed with the industry, and we will publish a paper detailing likely costs as soon as this information is available.
	The European Commission has announced that Community funds will be made available to reimburse certain costs associated with member states' emergency bluetongue vaccination programmes for 2008. The UK Government will start discussing with the Commission shortly what funding may be available, and on what terms, bearing in mind the undesirability of any conditions that may be inconsistent with our overarching objectives for control of the disease, or would increase the overall costs of vaccination to farmers themselves.

Bulls

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to assist the development of a market for bull calves.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has been actively engaged in encouraging the work of the Beyond Calf Export forum which is seeking realistic and economically viable alternatives to calf exports that will benefit the UK beef industry, calf breeders and also calf welfare.
	The forum consists of leading dairy and beef industry organisations, supermarkets and animal welfarists who have been working together to find market-based solutions to the problem of the dairy industry's black and white bull calves.

Carbon Emissions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1390W, on carbon emissions, how many tonnes were carbon offset in 2006-07 by each individual public authority participating in the Offsetting Fund.

Phil Woolas: I have arranged for a table to be placed in the Library which lists Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) members, the amount in tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions they have offset and the activities they have offset this through.

Christmas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is his Department's policy to use  (a) incandescent light bulbs and  (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises.

Jonathan R Shaw: The 2007 minimum procurement specifications for lightine in general are included in the Market Transformation Programme's Quick Wins Guidance. It sets out the following minimum standards for light bulbs:
	ED Energy Label class A for single ended compact fluorescent and EU Energy Label class A/B for single pin based bulbs
	EU energy Label class A for both long life and short life double-ended light bulbs.
	No specific guidelines have been set for decorative Christmas lights.

Christmas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on the selection of  (a) real and  (b) artificial Christmas trees for his Department's festive decorations; and how real trees are disposed of.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA selects real Christmas trees.
	The UK timber procurement policy applies to the procurement of Christmas trees. Therefore, currently DEFRA procures natural Christmas trees from legal sources and actively seeks to procure the trees from sustainable sources.
	Christmas trees are then re-cycled via mulching.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his latest estimate is of the carbon dioxide emissions of his Department as a result of the consumption of  (a) gas and  (b) electricity in 2006-07.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 25 January 2008
	 The latest data on carbon dioxide emissions for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs as a result of the consumption of  (a) gas and  (b) electricity in 2006-07 will be published in the Sustainable Development in Government report.
	The report, produced by the Sustainable Development Commission is expected in the first week of March.

Departmental Catering

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on the use of free range chicken and eggs in departmental catering facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA's catering service providers are free to supply free range chicken and eggs within departmental catering facilities. The Department requires as a minimum that eggs supplied are to 'Lion Standard', and that chickens supplied are to 'Farm Assured Standard'.

Departmental ICT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) start date,  (b) original planned completion date,  (c) current expected completion date,  (d) planned cost and  (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table presents the requested information for major projects within core DEFRA.
	A response covering smaller projects within core DEFRA and bodies beyond the core-Department would incur a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Project  Start Date  Original planned completion date  Expected completion date  Original planned costs ()  Estimated costs () 
			 Customer Land Database September 2006 March 2009 March 2009 1,860,000 1,730,600 
			 Enabling Technology April 2008 March 2009 March 2009 4,223,000 4,223,000 
			 Renew IT March 2007 April 2008 Sept 2008 7,400,000 9,800,000 
			 Spatial Information Repository March 2005 March 2007 March 2009 13,800,000 14,965,000 
			 Surveillance Profiles Database January 2007 March 2008 March 2008 514,000 514,000 
			 Whole Farm Approach April 2003 March 20 10 March 201 1 (1)65,000,000 (2)74,000,000 
			 (1) Original planned costs reference the WFA business case v1.0 31 October 2005 (2) Estimated costs include the delivery of relevant e-transactions services in delivery bodies (managed/funded in conjunction with other programmes).

Departmental Manpower

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff in each pay grade were employed in his Department and its agencies on  (a) 1 January 2008,  (b) 1 April 2004 and  (c) 1 October 2001; and what the equivalent figure was in respect of his Department's predecessors on 1 June 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2008
	The information, where available, is shown in the tables. Most of the data for earlier dates is either unavailable or would incur disproportionate cost to compile.
	
		
			  Defra 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1)  1 April 2004 
			 AA 115.8 578.7 
			 AO 570.7 1,669.5 
			 EO 582.2 1,426.6 
			 HEO 834.8 1,471.5 
			 SEO 372.5 770.9 
			 Grade 7 517.2 529.7 
			 Grade 6 158.6 153.9 
			 SCS 154.6 159.5 
			 Total 3,306.5 6,760.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Animal Health Agency (created on 1 April 2005 as the State Veterinary Service) 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1) 
			 AA 190.1 
			 AO 480.3 
			 EO 404.9 
			 HEO 197.2 
			 SEO 34.5 
			 Grade 7 250.4 
			 Grade 6 35.0 
			 SCS 9.0 
			 Total 1,601.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Central Science Laboratory 
			   1 January 2008  1 April 2004  1 October 2001   1 June 1997 
			 Band 1 31.21 41.30 47.65 Level 1 202.63 
			 Band 2 146.83 175.14 176.96 Level 2 273.32 
			 Band 3 161.22 170.06 144.36 Level 3 66.80 
			 Band 4 133.12 136.40 133.47 Level 4 36.00 
			 Band 5 90.45 86.11 71.45 Level 5 17.00 
			 Band 6 58.22 56.25 45.00 SCS 4.00 
			 Band 7 13.00 19.00 18.61   
			 SCS 4.00 4.00 4.00   
			 Total 638.05 688.26 641.5 Total 599.75 
			  Note:  CSL grading structure changed in 2000 
		
	
	
		
			  Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 
			  Grade  1 January 2008  1 April 2004 
			 PB1 5.9 13.6 
			 PB2 41.5 67.4 
			 PB3 84.4 78.6 
			 PB4 102.7 129.2 
			 PB5 108.5 105.8 
			 PB6 86.2 82.1 
			 PB7 46.1 36.5 
			 PB8 19.8 18.8 
			 SCS1 2.0 3.0 
			 Total 497.1 534.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Government Decontamination Service (created on 1 October 2005) 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1) 
			 AA 0.0 
			 AO 5.8 
			 EO 3.0 
			 HEO 9.0 
			 SEO 1.0 
			 Grade 7 4.0 
			 Grade 6 1.0 
			 SCS 1.0 
			 Total 24.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Marine and Fisheries Agency (created on 1 October 2005) 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1) 
			 AA 23.3 
			 AO 32.8 
			 EO 54.8 
			 HEO 24.0 
			 SEO 20.0 
			 Grade 7 9.0 
			 Grade 6 3.0 
			 SCS 1.0 
			 Total 167.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Pesticides Safety Directorate 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1)  1 April 2004 
			 AA 14.7 16.6 
			 AO 21.2 26.4 
			 EO 23.6 30.2 
			 HEO 67.2 54.7 
			 SEO 31.8 34.9 
			 Grade 7 15.0 16.0 
			 Grade 6 1.0 1.0 
			 SCS 2.0 3.0 
			 Total 176.5 182.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Rural Payments Agency 
			  Grade  1 January 2008  1 April 2004  1 October 2004 
			 SGB1 5.68 21.38 10.78 
			 SGB2 4.00 25.22 28.95 
			 AA 9.00 572.37 440.94 
			 AO 1,754.99 1,715.24 1,445.20 
			 Typist 0.00 11.59 24.15 
			 EO 1,004.72 757.05 723.96 
			 HEO 362.17 245.35 238.49 
			 SEO 163.11 107.42 83.58 
			 PS 0.00 11.54 15.15 
			 SFO 1.00 2.00 2.00 
			 G7 76.75 46.81 49.28 
			 G6 26.00 12.00 13.00 
			 SCS 8.00 10.00 5.92 
			 Total 3,415.41 3,537.97 3,081.40 
		
	
	Although RPA was not formally established until 16 October 2001 the staff shown were in post at site locations on 1 October 2001. Staffing figures for 1997 in respect of the Intervention Board are not readily available and the cost of providing it is disproportionate.
	
		
			  Veterinary Laboratories Agency 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1)  1 April 2004 
			 AA 199.3 286.4 
			 AO 403.4 439.9 
			 EO 251.4 236.0 
			 HEO 155.1 120.9 
			 SEO 152.5 141.1 
			 Grade 7 42.7 52.2 
			 Grade 6 23.6 16.9 
			 SCS 5.0 4.0 
			 Total 1,233.1 1,297.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Veterinary Medicines Directorate 
			  Grade  31 December 2007( 1)  1 April 2004 
			 AA 8.6 13.6 
			 AO 35.9 32.6 
			 EO 26.5 27.4 
			 HEO 16.4 14.8 
			 SEO 16.2 18.8 
			 Grade 7 24.4 12.4 
			 Grade 6 3.8 3.8 
			 SCS 3.0 3.0 
			 Total 134.8 126.4 
			 (1 )Data is currently collected on the last day of the month by Defra and some of the Agencies.

Departmental Recycling

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what weight of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: My right Hon friend the Secretary Of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn) can confirm that his Department recycled the following amounts of paper in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Tonnes 
			   Paper recycled 
			 2006-2007 860 
			 2005-2006 970 
			 2004-2005 669 
			 2003-2004 745 
			 2002-2003 747 
		
	
	In 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 data were gathered from sites with 50 or more staff and covered 39 sites. In 2005-06 and 2006-07 data were collected from sites with 25 or more staff (these covered 54 sites).

Dogs

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on adding new breeds and cross-breeds of dogs to those covered by the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; and whether he plans to act in response to such representations.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government have received a number of representations requesting that we add further breeds or types of dog to the list of dogs already prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
	We keep the Act under regular review and last year we carried out a consultation with the police on dangerous dogs legislation. At the time the police did not indicate there was a need to add any other types of dogs to the list of prohibited dogs and we currently have no plans to do so.

Domestic Animals: Animal Welfare

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with veterinary professionals on the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in safeguarding household pets from cruelty.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA holds a range of discussions with veterinary professionals on this and other issues.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1133W, on domestic wastes: waste disposal, whether the new national indicator set of performance indicators will include measures of public satisfaction with local authority waste collection services.

Joan Ruddock: The national indicator set is limited to measures to achieve the Government's priority outcomes. Local authorities' duties and responsibilities remain unchanged. There are many services and activities undertaken by local government, alone or in partnership, which are not directly reflected in the National Indicator Set but which will continue to be important to local areas and the people they serve. It is more appropriate that these are performance managed locally; with local authorities setting priorities, determining performance indicators and monitoring and reviewing performance. This is part of the devolution deal that local government has been seeking.
	A Place Survey run by Communities and Local Government (CLG) will be used to collect 20 of the citizen perspective indicators included in the National Indicator Set. This will replace the Best Value User Satisfaction surveys. It is anticipated that the first Place Survey will be undertaken this autumn. It is anticipated that the consultation document will be available in mid-December and will be available under the 'Consultation' section of the CLG website.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether in those areas piloting charges for household rubbish collection waste disposal authorities will be liable to make payments to waste collection authorities for costs arising from  (a) collection,  (b) pilot administration and  (c) charge collection; and whether such disposal authorities will be liable to make payments to cover potential savings in disposal costs.

Joan Ruddock: Powers provided in the Climate Change Bill will allow up to five local authorities to pilot non revenue raising incentives schemes, which are designed to encourage household waste minimisation and recycling. Any revenue the authority collects through charges under a waste reduction scheme would have to be given back to residents through rebates for those producing less waste. Local authorities could not keep any money for their own purposes, nor could they use the revenue to cover any of their costs.
	As stated in the Climate Change Bill, where a waste disposal authority is not a waste collection authority, the waste disposal authority may make payments to the waste collection authority. The amount of any such payments would be up to the waste disposal authority and the waste collection authority to determine locally.
	As previously stated, the Government will be providing up to 1.5 million per year for three years to support the pilots.

European Fisheries Fund

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to submit the Operational Programme of the European Fisheries Fund to the European Commission; when he expects approval to be granted for the UK Operational Programme by the Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 15 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 778-79W and on 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 30W.

Fisheries: Public Appointments

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 2124-5W, on fisheries: public appointments, if he will provide the information requested in relation to the current members of the sea fisheries committees; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the names are of all  (a) current and  (b) previous members of each sea fisheries committee; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Section 2 of the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966 sets out that persons appointed by the Minister to Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs) shall be:
	'....persons acquainted with the needs and opinions of the fishing interests of that district or as being persons having knowledge of, or expertise in, marine environmental matters'.
	Once appointed, members are required to represent, in a balanced way, all local fishing and marine environmental interests in the SFC district. Appointees should not regard themselves as representing any one particular interest or organisation.
	As of 30 January 2008, the names and known interests (as recorded at the time of their first appointment) of all current DEFRA ministerial appointees to each Sea Fisheries Committee are as follows:
	
		
			  Name  Known interests at time of first appointment 
			  Cornwall SFC  
			 Stuart Athay Charter Boat Skipper 
			 Kevin P Bennetts Potter, beam trawler plus sea angler 
			 Chris Brett Inshore netter/crabber 
			 Christopher Curtis Harbour master/fisherman 
			 C J Mitchell Secretary to local fishermen's association 
			 David C Muirhead Ex-fisherman 
			 David Stevens Share fisherman/owner 
			 Philip Trebilcock Fisherman 
			 Dr. Nick Tregenza Environmentalist 
			 John Trewin Inshore fisherman 
			 P G Walton Inshore fisherman 
			 Ruth Williams Environmentalist/marine conservation officer 
			   
			  Cumbria SFC  
			 D Baxter Shrimp fisherman 
			 Ronald Graham Part-time fisherman/member of European Fisheries Forum 
			 George Southwell Fishermantrawling, netting, potting 
			 D Harpley Marine conservation officer 
			 J McAvoy Fisherman, trawler 
			 Michael Sterland Sea angler/tackle shop owner 
			   
			  Devon SFC  
			 David Cuthbert Fisherman 
			 Chris Davis Environmentalist 
			 Martyn Gates Fisherman, shellfish farmer, fish merchant 
			 David Morgan Shellfisherman (crabs, lobsters) 
			 David Henry Pakes Sea angling, boat owner 
			 James Portus Chief exec SWFPO Ltd 
			 David Rowe Sea angler 
			 R Talbot Fisherman 
			 Christopher Venmore Shellfisherman 
			   
			  Eastern SFC  
			 Mr. Roy Brewster Inshore fisherman 
			 Robert John Garnett Fisherman/vessel owner-skipper 
			 Neil A Lake Shellfisherman 
			 Ivan G Large Inshore fisherman 
			 Thomas Pinborough Sea angler 
			 Cyril A R Southerland Shellfisherman 
			 Steven Williamson Shellfish factory manager 
			 Michael Yates Scientific officer 
			 Vacant post  
			   
			  Isles of Scilly SFC  
			 Timothy Allsop Charter skipper 
			 Barry Bennett Fisherman/lifeboat coxswain 
			 Mark Dean Pender Fisherman 
			 Timothy Richards Fisherman 
			   
			  Kent and Essex SFC  
			 Gary Attenborough Cockler 
			 Teresa Bennett Environmentalist 
			 Paul D Gilson Thames trawlerman/merchant 
			 Richard A Jacobs Thames beam trawlerman 
			 B Martin Fisherman 
			 John Nichols Shipwright conservation officer (angling interests) 
			 S J Place Gill netter 
			 Leon Roskilly Sea angler 
			 Vacant post  
			  North Eastern SFC  
			 David Ballington Sea angler 
			 Stuart McPherson Angler 
			 S Cowan Fishing vessel skipper 
			 Michael J Emmerson Shellfisherman 
			 Derek Heselton MBE Fisherman 
			 Gary Hodgson Shellfisherman/vessel owner 
			 Robert Mainprize Skipper/vessel owner/biological sampler for CEFAS/guard ship 
			 J Johnson Skipper owner 
			 Jim Linstead Trawlerman (chief exec GFPO) 
			 Stephen J Norton CE00Grimsby Fish Merchants Assoc Ltd 
			 Frank Powell Fisherman 
			 N V Proctor Marine biologist, conservation officer with Yorkshire NFSA ( plus sea angling) 
			 Terence N Pearson Company director/inshore fisherman 
			 Thomas W Smith Shellfish/salmon fisherman 
			 Dr. Selina Stead Environmentalist 
			 G Traves MBE Shellfisherman/trawlerman 
			 John Whitton Angler 
			   
			  North Western and North Wales SFC  
			 Arthur Brecknell NW Sea Fish Industry Training Association 
			 Geoff Hancock Sea angler 
			 D G Jewitt Fisherman 
			 Allan S Marklew Sea angler 
			 Margaret R Owen Part-time fisherwoman 
			 Norman Parker Retired netsman 
			 M Porter Fisherman 
			 Tommy Watson Fisherman 
			 C Woods Shellfisherman 
			   
			  Northumberland SFC  
			 Tony Anderson Sea angler 
			 David Morton Angler/small boat owner 
			 Kevin Henderson Skipper/owner 
			 David Herriot Chief exec Anglo Scottish FPO 
			 Steven Moss Skipper/owner Trawlerman 
			 Dr. Nick Polunin Marine ecologist 
			 Henry Rowe Fisherman 
			 James Stephenson Shellfisherman 
			 John Thomson Fisherman 
			   
			  Southern SFC  
			 Richard Ferre Chair of NFSA/sea angler and boat owner 
			 Dr. Anthony C Jensen Marine biologist 
			 Terry Lankford Vessel owner/shellfish merchant and exporter 
			 Kenneth Lynham Shellfisherman 
			 Chris Mowlam Fisherman 
			 David Sales Fisherman 
			 Stella Stride JP Vessel and boatyard ownersecretary of various fishing organisations 
			 Mark Stevenson Fisherman 
			 Peter Tinsley Marine conservation officer 
			  Sussex SFC  
			 M J R Barrow Fisherman 
			 Bill Brock Fish market owner/fishing vessel manager 
			 Alan Brothers Sea angler 
			 A P Delahunty Shellfisherman 
			 Graham Doswell Fisherman 
			 Simon J A Flint Sea angler 
			 David Guy Fisheries manager 
			 David Harvey Environmentalist 
			 Ron Simmons Trawlerman 
		
	
	Welsh Ministers are responsible for the remaining appointments to North Western and North Wales SFC, and are solely responsible for appointments to South Wales SFC.
	The information requested in relation to all previous members is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he next plans to discuss fisheries quota management with Ministers in the devolved administrations; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have no current plans to discuss quota management with Ministers in the devolved administrations.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to help provide more quota to the 10 metre and under fleet in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine and Fisheries Agency is exploring all options to acquire additional quota for the inshore fleet through domestic and international swaps, and via quota contributed to 10 metre and under quota allocations by producer organisations under economic link arrangements.
	Discussion is also under way with producer organisations to seek their continued co-operation in providing more quota for the 10 metre and under fleet.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 744W, on fisheries: quotas, what proposals his Department supported to  (a) reform quota management and  (b) improve quota availability for the 10 metre and under fleet prior to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: In my previous answer to which the hon. Member refers, I explained why publication of the draft Quota Management Change Programme proposals would be misleading and unhelpful. For the same reasons, I do not propose to set out those proposals here.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the planned consultation for the Quota Management Change Programme did not take place between January and March 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 744W.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to use the dispute resolution procedure in the devolution agreements to introduce UK-wide reform of quota management; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  under what circumstances he would use the dispute resolution procedure in the devolution agreements in relation to the establishment of quotas; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government will continue to constructively engage with the devolved Administrations with regard to fisheries management. The memorandum of understanding between the Government and the devolved Administrations provides mechanisms for resolving disputes where necessary.

Geographical Information Systems: Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which public authorities, other than local authorities and their partner organisations, have access to the MAGIC database.

Jonathan R Shaw: The MAGIC service is available on the internet with no restrictions. Hence all public authorities can view and use the data online.
	Many of the datasets can also be downloaded either from the MAGIC website or through facilities provided directly by the partner organisations.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers the British Horseracing Authority has to tackle excessive use of whips by jockeys in horseracing; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal. Any person or organisation may initiate criminal proceedings under the Act where there is reason to believe that unnecessary suffering has been caused.
	Details of powers available to industry bodies, including bodies responsible for racing standards, can be obtained directly from the body concerned.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will use powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to criminalise the excessive whipping of racehorses by jockeys; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to either cause any unnecessary suffering or to fail to protect an animal from pain, injury or suffering. This law protects all horses from excessive use of the whip.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research on the implications for animal welfare of whipping racehorses during races.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has no plans to commission research into the effect of whipping racehorses. Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 already makes it an offence for anyone to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal under the control of man. A court would have to decide, based on the individual circumstances of the case, whether an offence had been committed under section 4 of the Act.

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the costs to  (a) his Department and  (b) the farming industry of changes made to the regulations on farm burials and the disposal of carcasses in each year since the regulations came into force; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the prohibition of on-farm burials on water quality over the same period.

Jonathan R Shaw: Following the introduction of the EU Animal By-products Regulation in 2003, which introduced a ban on the on-farm burial of livestock, the UK National Fallen Stock Scheme (NFSS) began operating in November 2004. Initially, DEFRA and the devolved Administrations agreed jointly to provide funding of 20 million to support the scheme on a reducing basis over three (later extended to four) years.
	Set out in the following table is the amount of direct support the Government have provided for UK farmers to date.
	
		
			
			 2004-05 858,603 
			 2005-06 5,945,279 
			 2006-07 6,869,220 
			 2007-08(1) 2,169,094 
			 (1) To end December. 
		
	
	The NFSS is run by the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo). Although NFSCo's running costs are mainly financed by the farmers who are members of the scheme, DEFRA and the devolved Administrations have also made contributions to its set-up costs, scheme administration and IT. These contributions are set out in the following table.
	
		
			
			 2004-05 1,458,930 
			 2005-06 601,056 
			 2006-07 538,885 
			 2007-08 660,000 
		
	
	In addition, DEFRA has carried out a number of publicity campaigns to better articulate the need for the burial ban. These cost 10,000 in 2006-07 and 40,860 in 2007-08. This activity was the result of a recommendation set out by Bob Bansback in his independent review of the NFSS.
	It is not possible to estimate the amount spent by the farming industry. Not all farmers are members of the scheme and many will have made their own arrangements to dispose of carcases in compliance with the rules. In addition, many farmers would have disposed of carcases as required by the EU regulation even had it not been agreed, given the strict controls on carcase disposal under previous domestic legislation.
	With regard to the impact on water quality, no such assessment has been made. The Environment Agency is often involved with carcases found in or near to watercourses. The Agency has previously stated that it has no direct evidence to show that on-farm burial in the past has caused reportable pollution problems. However, EU scientific opinion which underpinned the Animal By-products Regulation expressed concern:
	about the location of burial sites and access of livestock to them;
	that the potential for transmission of TSEs from specified risk material buried near the surface was poorly characterised;
	about the extent to which infectivity would be reduced by burial;
	about the penetration of prions into leachates and groundwater; and
	the dangers arising from 're-engineering' in areas where previous burial of TSE contaminated material had occurred.
	Given these uncertainties, it was concluded that the burial of carcases continued to pose a significant risk.

Morgan Allan Moore

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings  (a) he and  (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of the company Morgan Allan Moore in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 17 January 2008
	 Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

Public Sector: Procurement

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking under the public sector food Initiative to encourage public sector bodies to phase out the purchase of conventional battery eggs when procuring food and meals; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The public sector food procurement initiative contains a specific objective to promote animal welfare, but does not provide specific guidance on purchasing eggs. We are however committed to the 2012 deadline to phase out conventional battery cages across the EU and welcome the recommendation in the Commission's recently published report on the welfare of laying hens in various production systems to maintain that deadline.
	We will be alerting public bodies to the Commission's recommendation that the 2012 deadline should stay, of our commitment to this deadline and that alternative production systems offer clear welfare advantages over conventional (i.e. barren) battery cages. This should help to raise awareness and encourage public bodies to look at other methods of production.
	The Government do not wish to see as a consequence of the EU ban an increase in imported egg and egg products derived from chickens in barren cage systems. That would not benefit animal welfare.

Recycling: Incentives

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which councils already operate reward-only incentive schemes to encourage recycling.

Joan Ruddock: Central Government do not hold information on councils which operate reward-only incentive schemes to encourage recycling. The type of waste collection scheme operated by a local authority is rightly a local decision.

Regeneration: Coventry

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants his Department has provided for the re-development of Coventry in the last 12 months; and what  (a) grants and  (b) loans for that purpose are planned for the future.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 23 January 2008
	There have been no specific DEFRA grants or loans provided for the re-development of Coventry in the last 12 months. Coventry city council is working in partnership with a number of private sector developers and Advantage West Midlands (the regional development agency (RDA) for the west midlands) to continue the regeneration of the city. Details of
	funding streams are yet to be determined, but it is estimated by the city council that the redevelopment will cost 1 billion. This will involve a mix of public and private sector funding.
	DEFRA is one of six Departments which contributes to the financing of all England's regional development agencies through the RDA single programme. The funding is allocated according to a specific formula.

Regulation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for which regulators and inspectorates his Department has had responsibility in each year since 1997; what the budget was of each such body in each year; and what the cost to the public purse was of any restructuring of each such body in each year.

Jonathan R Shaw: The DEFRA regulators and inspectorates listed are those included in Philip Hampton's review Reducing administrative burdens: effective inspection and enforcement. Published in March 2005, having been commissioned by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, the aim of the review was to identify ways in which the administrative burden of regulation on businesses can be reduced, while maintaining or improving regulatory outcomes.
	Budget information for each body has been provided where this is readily available from either published annual reports and accounts or from the Cabinet Office annual publication Public Bodies. Information has been provided back to 2001-02, the year in which DEFRA was created. Information relating to the cost of restructuring for these bodies is not held centrally and is not readily available without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   Budget 
			  Bodies  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Agricultural Wages Board England and Wales(1) (an Executive NDPB of DEFRA) 0.22 0.22 0.22  0.30  
			 Animal Health(2 )(previously the State Veterinary Service) (SVS was part of core DEFRA until 1 April 2005 when it became an Executive agency and was subsequently re-named Animal Health) 96.76 106.45 
			 British Potato Council(1) (an Executive NDPB of DEFRA) 6.05 6.55 6.33  5.96  
			 Dairy Hygiene Inspectorate(3) (part of core DEFRA until October 2006 when it merged with the SVS)   
			 Drinking Water Inspectorate(3 )(part of core DEFRA)   
			 Egg Marketing Inspectorate(3) (part of core DEFRA until 1 April 2007 when EMI merger with Animal Health)   
			 English Nature(1) (an Executive NDPB of DEFRA, until 1 October 2006, when it merged with the Rural Development Service and Country Side Agency to form Natural England) 78.39 168.86 82.39  87.50  
			 Environment Agency(2) (an Executive NDPB of DEFRA) 706.70 800.80 835.60 867.20 1,038.40 1,064.60 
			 Fish Health Inspectorate(3) (part of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, an Executive agency of DEFRA)   
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority(1 )(GLA was established as an Executive NDPB on 1 April 2005) 5.15  
			 Home Grown Cereals Authority(1) (an Executive NDPB of DEFRA) 10.24 10.40 9.90  10.11  
			 Horticulture Marketing Inspectorate(3) (part of core DEFRA until 1 April 2006, when it merged with the RPA)   
			 National Bee Unit(3) (part of Central Science Laboratory, an Executive agency of DEFRA)   
			 National Wildlife Management Team(3) (part of core DEFRA until 1 April 2005, when it became part of the SVS)   
			 Natural England(2) (established as an Executive NDPB of DEFRA on 1 October 2006) 240.16 223.25 
			 Pesticides Safety Directorate(2 )(an Executive agency of DEFRA)  12.36 12.73 13.37 13.56 13.16 
			 Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate(3) (part of core DEFRA)   
			 Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division(3) (part of core DEFRA)   
			 Rural Payments Agency(2) (established as an Executive agency of DEFRA on 16 October 2001) 2,834.51 3,198.15 3,636.88 3,910.75 3,973.70 3,279.10 
			 Sea Fish Industry Authority(1) (An Executive NDPB of DEFRA) 10.90 10.85 11.69  11.62  
			 Sea Fisheries Inspectorate(3) (part of core DEFRA until October 2005 when it became part of the Marine Fisheries Agency, an Executive agency of DEFRA)   
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate(2 )(an Executive agency of DEFRA) 6.44 6.84 7.66 8.11 8.21 8.82 
			 Wildlife Inpsectorate(3) (part of core DEFRA until it merged with Animal Health on 1 April 2007)   
			 Wine Standards Board(1) (an Executive NDPB of DEFRA until it became part of the Food Standards Agency in July 2006) 0.53 0.52 0.50  0.63  
			 (1 )Figures are total expenditure taken from the annual Cabinet Office report Public Bodies. No expenditure figures are available for 2004-05. (2) Figures taken from the gross annual expenditure taken from the published annual report and accounts for the respective years, where available. (3) Separate budgetary information is not held centrally as these bodies are either part of core DEFRA or one of its Executive agencies.  Note: The DEFRA inspection and enforcement bodies listed in the table are those included in Philip Hampton's review (published in March 2005) Reducing administrative burdens: effective inspection and enforcement, with information provided from 2001-02 when DEFRA was created.

Rodents

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate  (a) he and  (b) the Environment Agency has made of trends in the rat population and significant rat infestations over the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA will shortly be publishing an interim report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Key findings are that the occurrences of rats inside and outside properties in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.

Scottish Fisheries Council

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he or officials from his Department  (a) have been invited to attend and  (b) will attend meetings of the Scottish Fisheries Council; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Neither myself nor my officials have been invited to attend meetings of the Scottish Fisheries Council.

Water Sports

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on canoe access agreements; and how much his Department has spent on researching such agreements.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government share canoeists', and other user groups', aspirations for more and better access to inland water and have been working, through our agencies, to deliver this over a number of years. The Government's view is that a statutory right of access to inland waterways is not appropriate. The evidence indicates that the demand for access would more effectively be met by a targeted approach, which involves identifying where access is needed, and then creating access agreements with the landowner and other interested parties. Since 2001 399,000 has been spent researching such arrangements.

Whales

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 246W, on whales, to how many  (a) International Whaling Commission (IWC) members and  (b) non-IWC members the Protecting WhalesA Global Responsibility document has been sent; to how many countries in each continent (i) the document has been sent and (ii) he has written encouraging them to join the IWC; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many of the letters he plans to send will be addressed to  (a) heads of state,  (b) heads of government,  (c) his counterparts,  (d) ambassadors and (e) other foreign government officials; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the text of the letters he plans to send; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: As I stated in my answer of the 29 January 2008, the publication 'Protecting WhalesA Global Responsibility' has been sent to over 60 countries, both anti and pro-whaling, including current and non members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), encouraging them to join the effort to protect these species.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment (Hilary Benn) has also written to 18 of these countries, encouraging them to join the IWC for the greater protection of whales.
	Providing details of these countries and the letters sent to them could compromise our efforts to persuade them to either join the IWC and adopt an anti-whaling stance or, if already an IWC member, increase their commitment to protecting whales.

Whales: Japan

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to whom at the Japanese Embassy the recent request to discuss Japanese whaling was addressed; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 31 January 2008
	The request to discuss Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean was made to the deputy ambassador of the Japanese embassy in London. The Japanese embassy responded by sending the deputy ambassador Wataru Nishigahiro to meet me on the 8 January.
	The deputy ambassador was left in no doubt of the strength of feeling in this country and that the UK is outraged by Japan's whaling activities and considers Japan's lethal research wholly unnecessary.
	To our knowledge, the UK and Australia are the only countries in the world to have had such a meeting with Japanese embassy staff over this season's whaling.
	A meeting at this level demonstrates to Japan the extent of our concern over the issue and I was left in no doubt that the deputy ambassador would convey the UK's position back to the Japanese Government. The UK Government will continue to make our opposition to whaling known to Japan at every appropriate opportunity

White Fish: Conservation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 2127-8W, on white fish: conservation, pursuant to the advice given by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ICES that bass stocks appeared to be fished sustainably, for what reasons his Department previously committed to increasing the bass minimum landing size; if his Department was aware of the ICES advice when it made that decision; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The commitment made by this Department in August 2006 to increase the bass minimum landing size was intended to provide: (i) benefits for commercial and recreational fishermen through increases in the number and size of bass available for capture; and (ii) increased protection for the bass stock.
	The Regulatory Impact Assessment published alongside that commitment made reference to the ICES advice.